Exact fee Chelsea will accept for in-demand forward revealed as agreement reached on wages

Both the asking price from Chelsea and the wage demands of one of their exit-linked players have dropped as a move abroad becomes more and more likely, according to reports.

Chelsea have more than 40 players on the books at the moment after several who were out on loan last season returned to the club. Naturally, that number is going to have to decrease for new head coach Enzo Maresca to have a manageable squad.

Of the players who were out on loan, one of the most likely to leave on a permanent basis is Romelu Lukaku. Chelsea broke their club transfer record to buy the striker from Inter in 2021, but his second spell at Stamford Bridge did not live up to expectations.

Now, after loans back in Serie A with Inter and Roma, Lukaku is looking to be sold by Chelsea. And once again, Italy is expected to be his destination.

Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has taken charge of Napoli and after getting the best out of Lukaku in his first spell at Inter, wants to reunite with the Belgium international.

Napoli could sell Victor Osimhen – who Chelsea themselves have shown an interest in – for big money this summer, opening up a vacancy at centre-forward. However, if Lukaku fills it, it won’t be for as much money as they get for Osimhen.

Indeed, eager not to make too much of a capital loss, Chelsea have already priced themselves out of selling Lukaku over the past couple of years. Now, they have reduced their asking price in an attempt to get Lukaku off the books for good.

According to talkSPORT, despite Lukaku having a £38m release clause – designed last year to simplify his sale this summer – Chelsea are now inviting offers of just £29m for the 31-year-old.

Lukaku accepts lower salary from Napoli

Meanwhile, Lukaku himself is in no mood to have another campaign tied to Chelsea, whether he’s on loan away from them or playing for them.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Lukaku has agreed personal terms with Napoli already. He is happy to earn €6m per season (about £97,000 per week) from them, which is almost half of his current €11m annual pay package.

Desperate to play for Conte again, Lukaku is willing to do what it takes to join Napoli and start a new chapter of his career.

He has endured mixed fortunes since Chelsea bought him three years ago. He scored just eight Premier League goals in the 2021-22 season, and only 10 in Serie A when he went back to Inter the following campaign.

Last season, he scored 13 Serie A goals for Roma, another gradual improvement but a far cry from the title-contributing 24-goal haul that encouraged Chelsea to sign him from Inter in the first place.

Conte is the coach Lukaku has scored the most goals for in his career, so it’s no surprise he’s so eager to join Napoli, even with no European football on offer.

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