Chelsea have reportedly reached a 'total agreement' to sell Romelu Lukaku to a surprise Premier League club, despite firm interest from Napoli.
The Belgium international memorably made a rod for his own back just a few months after his £97.5m return to Stamford Bridge in 2021, admitting his frustration with Thomas Tuchel's system.
While the German is long gone from the Stamford Bridge dugout, Lukaku was not considered for a Chelsea renaissance under Graham Potter or Mauricio Pochettino, and it will seemingly be the same story under Enzo Maresca.
Owing partially to his post-Euro 2024 holiday, the former Manchester United striker has not been in pre-season action with the Blues, who are working desperately to offload him on a permanent deal in the coming weeks.
Chelsea are expected to entertain offers of around £37.5m for the unwanted 31-year-old, having accepted that they will make a huge loss, and a return to Italy with 2022-23 Serie A champions Napoli has been strongly mooted.
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Aston Villa 'strike agreement' with Chelsea for Lukaku
The Partenopei are now under the wing of Antonio Conte, whom Lukaku thrived under during Inter Milan's triumphant 2020-21 campaign, and the ex-Chelsea boss is determined to reunite with the Belgian.
However, a report from Il Mattino - via GIVEMESPORT - Premier League upstarts Aston Villa have reached a full agreement with Chelsea out of nowhere and are working to hijack Lukaku's proposed Napoli switch.
Unai Emery's side can offer Lukaku Champions League football for next season thanks to their fourth-placed Premier League finish in 2023-24, and Lukaku could form a fearsome strike partnership with Ollie Watkins at Villa Park.
The 31-year-old could be signed as a direct replacement for Jhon Duran, who has been linked with moves to Chelsea and West Ham United, although the latter are now targeting Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund instead.
Napoli head coach Conte is apparently concerned about the possibility of a deal collapsing thanks to Villa's late intervention, as well as uncertainty surrounding the future of their current star striker Victor Osimhen.
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Claims that the Nigeria international and Lukaku could move in opposite directions as part of a player-plus-cash deal have been shot down by his agent, but Conte ostensibly has no real reason to be concerned.
The report adds that Lukaku has no interest in joining Villa and is still pining to join Napoli, although the Italians are yet to shake hands on a price with Chelsea, who have Lukaku under contract for another two seasons.
How do Lukaku's Premier League and Serie A numbers compare?
A highly experienced striker in both Premier League and Serie A terms, Lukaku has been loaned to both Inter and Roma since returning to Chelsea permanently, while also dabbling in English top-flight football with Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Man United.
Lukaku has made far more appearances in the Premier League with 278 matches compared to 129 in Serie A and has unsurprisingly scored more goals in England, but his strike rate in Serie A is superior.
Indeed, the Belgium international has amassed 121 Premier League goals at a rate of 0.43 per match, while scoring 70 goals in Serie A, averaging 0.54 per game, including 13 in a Roma jersey last season.
Ben Knapton
