Romelu Lukaku joins Roma on loan from Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku has joined Roma on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

The Blues had been seeking a permanent departure all summer but, after Lukaku rejected advances from Saudi Arabia and saw Inter withdraw from the race to sign him, such interest was hard to find.

Juventus offered to sign Lukaku permanently but only if they could part ways with Dusan Vlahovic, who was even offered to Chelsea as part of an offer which the Blues swiftly declined.

Ultimately, Chelsea agreed to send Lukaku out on another loan deal and Roma swiftly emerged as leading contenders for the Belgian.

The deal is now done, with Lukaku now linking up with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in Rome.

"The welcome I've received from this club and its fans has excited me and given me even more motivation to give my all for my new team," Lukaku told Roma media. "As an opponent, I felt the atmosphere of the Stadio Olimpico, and felt the warmth of the Romanisti.

"It's nice to know I'm a part of it today. I recently got the opportunity to speak with the owners, and I was impressed by their ambition. Now we must work, be humble, and grow game by game. For my part, I can't wait to be available to my teammates both on and off the pitch."

Roma's deal to sign Lukaku does not include an option or an obligation for the Serie A side to make the move permanent.

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On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey to discuss Man Utd's links to Marc Cucurella and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Romelu Lukaku's impending exit from Chelsea, West Ham's attempts to revive a deal for Harry Maguire & more!

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