Chelsea are set to make another massive economic loss on their accounts this summer with Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku rejoined Chelsea from Inter in the summer of 2021 for a then-club record transfer fee of €115 million.
But he was a disaster during the 2021-22 campaign, falling out with manager Thomas Tuchel, criticising the club publicly and performing poorly on the pitch.
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Chelsea have tried to sell Lukaku since then but have been unable to find a club willing to pay the amortised cost of his transfer each summer.
As a result, he spent the 2022-23 campaign back at Inter on loan, and is now on a season-long loan at Roma.
Chelsea asking price for Lukaku
Chelsea have set a price tag of €40m to sell Lukaku this summer in order to prevent them making a loss on their accounts.
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However, there is absolutely no chance that Roma can or will be able to pay that sum of money for a 31-year-old.
The fact that Lukaku has suffered an alarming dip in the second half of the season – with just four Serie A goals in 2024 – is also an issue for Roma and other potential buyers.
As a result, Chelsea are privately accepting that unless they are able to sell Lukaku to a Saudi Arabian club with more money than brains, they will for a third summer in a row make a big financial loss on Lukaku.
Lukaku will return to Chelsea at the end of the season when his loan expires but neither player nor club have any intention of him sticking around next season.
He has still scored a respectable 20 goals in all competitions for Roma this season, although most of these goals came during the first half of the season.
Lukaku managed 15 goals in 44 games during the 2021-22 season at Chelsea.
