‘Matter of time’: Chelsea have now found agreement to loan £4m player, he could fly tonight

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Chelsea have now found an agreement with Roma over a loan deal for Romelu Lukaku.

That is according to Sacha Tavolieri.

So, what is the latest on Romelu Lukaku? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well, Chelsea have finally found someone to take the Belgium international off their hands for the 2023/24 campaign.

The Blues have agreed a loan fee worth €4.8m (£4.1m) with Roma for Lukaku.

Tavolieri adds that the Belgian striker will earn €7m-a-year (£6m) in Rome, which means he has taken a huge hit on his £17m-a-year salary which was reported by the Evening Standard earlier on Sunday.

The Belgian journalist adds that Lukaku could even fly to Rome tonight if all goes to plan – he is currently still in Belgium awaiting the green light to depart.

Tavolieri also claims that Roma will have no obligation to buy the Antwerp-born forward next summer, and it is only a “matter of time” until the deal is finalised.

Lukaku departure is great news for Chelsea

With just days until Friday’s transfer deadline, the chances of Lukaku staying at Stamford Bridge were increasing – which was a very worrying possibility.

As aforesaid, the Chelsea outcast earned £17m-a-year in west London, which equates to roughly £325,000-a-week, so the fact he has agreed to take a pay cut is great news for the Blues.

To be spending such a huge salary on an unwanted player was a huge drain on Chelsea’s finances, so this is another positive for Todd Boehly in a summer where the Blues have thrived at offloading fringe players.

Furthermore – had Lukaku stayed at Chelsea this season – his presence may have ended up being a disturbance to Pochettino around Cobham, which could have damaged squad harmony.

Hopefully, all goes well with Lukaku’s medical once he arrives in Rome, and Chelsea can look to spend the money saved on his wages on another attacking reinforcement.