Chelsea & Napoli agree deal for Romelu Lukaku - report
- Napoli submit new bid for Lukaku after fresh round of talks
- Blues ready to budge from initial asking price
- Carney Chukwuemeka also tipped to join Antonio Conte's side
By Tom Gott
Napoli have struck a deal to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, reports have confirmed.
The Belgian is Antonio Conte's top target to bolster his forward line and Chelsea are keen to part ways with Lukaku permanently, although they have so far stood firm on their asking price of £37m.
A loan bid with a view to a permanent deal worth a total of €30m (£25.4m) has already been rejected but, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, Napoli have returned with another €30m bid to sign Lukaku permanently this summer.
Further reports have confirmed that Napoli have also offered a further €15m (£12.7m) in add-ons, taking the deal up to Chelsea's overall asking price.
Fabrizio Romano confirms that the two clubs have now reached a verbal agreement to take Lukaku to Napoli in the coming days.
According to BBC Sport, Lukaku is not the only Chelsea player in talks with Napoli as the Blues are also looking to offload midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca has already warned Chukwuemeka he may not see significant minutes at Stamford Bridge this season. A handful of Premier League sides have expressed interest but Chelsea may prefer to send him to Napoli as part of their ongoing attempts to lower the asking price for Victor Osimhen.
Regardless of any money raised through sales of Lukaku and Chukwuemeka, Chelsea's current priority is to try to sign Osimhen on an initial loan deal.
Osimhen, as it stands, has shown a reluctance to move on any loan deal unless it includes an obligation to make the move permanent, while his high salary demands could also prove problematic.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
feed