Romelu Lukaku &#8211; CaughtOffside

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Lukaku has made 14 appearances for Roma since joining the club on loan in summer, scoring nine goals and totalling 1,139 minutes of football.

Despite Johnson saying Lukaku wasn’t suited to the Premier League, the Belgian still managed to score 121 goals in the Premier League in 278 appearances, playing for Chelsea, West Brom, Everton and Manchester United in that time.

Lukaku has scored 63 goals in the Serie A after just 107 appearances though, playing for Inter Milan and Roma.

He also has a very impressive international record, scoring 83 goals in 113 caps for Belgium, and he is now their top goalscorer.

The post Ex Premier League defender says Romelu Lukaku wasn’t right for the Premier League appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea star 99% gone, Lukaku clause, Arsenal midfield targets, and could Man Utd ace be next big Saudi signing?

Fabrizio Romano — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service at thedailybriefing.io

Chelsea’s plans for the January transfer window

I expect Chelsea to be active in the January window, but also smart. The best news around Chelsea at the moment is that there is almost no news – finally. After two years of many rumours and stories about players, managers, directors, and so on, it’s important for things to now be a bit more calm and quiet.

This will help Chelsea work in the best way, and that’s what they’re doing behind the scenes, with a striker still their priority. We’ve heard a lot about Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney, but I’m told that it still looks highly unlikely that Osimhen will leave Napoli in the middle of the season. Nothing has changed in terms of his availability because it looks like a complicated season for Napoli and so they want to keep him at least until the end of the season. In the summer of course it could be different.

For Toney, Brentford will fight to keep the player of course, but I’m told that he wants to try a new experience, and he wants to play for a top, top club. Chelsea are still interested, so let’s see if they will attack the situation, but there are no negotiations yet. Let’s see what happens because for sure they are considering bringing in a new striker in January.

In terms of centre-backs, I expect Chelsea to sell Trevoh Chalobah, it seems 99% likely because he wants to play football. Chelsea also believe that the best plan is to part ways in January. I have no update on clubs pursuing him yet, it’s no longer a concrete negotiation with Bayern after a deal collapsed back in August.

I would then expect Chelsea to try to bring in a new centre-back. They are exploring options on the market, but there is still nothing decided, they are still assessing options, but it’s certainly a position they want to cover in 2024.

Romelu Lukaku’s unofficial release clause for summer 2024

From what I’m told, Romelu Lukaku has something like a release clause, but not a proper release clause. There is a gentleman’s agreement between the player’s agents and Chelsea, because they don’t want a situation like a few months ago in the summer transfer window when they had to negotiate with Juventus, then with Inter, then with Roma – it was a very complicated summer for Chelsea around the Lukaku story, and so there is now a possibility for him to leave for €40m – and that’s not just for Roma, that’s for any club.

From what I’m told, Roma still have no clarity on what will happen next season with some key figures, such as manager Jose Mourinho and director Tiago Pinto – it’s therefore too early for Roma to decide if they can pay that money for Lukaku. We’ll have to see around March/April when things will become more clear.

How Everton could approach January after points deduction

Everton may now have to be conservative with their January transfer activity after their points deduction. They will be prepared to fight for their position and we’ll see how that will materialise in the next weeks, but I expect them to be conservative with their approach.

At the moment there is nothing concrete in terms of negotiations yet – they want to see how to discuss this big issue they have and then work out their strategy and targets for January.

There’s nothing yet in terms of names for Everton, but I would certainly expect a more conservative approach from them in the market after this strong punishment from previous dealings.

More Stories / Latest News

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Thoughts on those Antoine Griezmann to Man Utd links

There have been some surprising stories about Antoine Griezmann being a target for Manchester United, but I think it’s impossible, honestly. I’m not aware of any contacts, but it’s also not just about that, it’s about the player’s desire to stay at Atletico Madrid.

From what I’m told, back in the summer there was an approach from Saudi Arabia, with a crazy proposal in terms of salary to Griezmann, who would’ve become one of the best-paid players there, but he didn’t even want to negotiate. He is in love with Atletico Madrid and he already left them to join Barcelona in a special moment in his career a few years ago, and he regrets that decision because now he is back at the club and he feels very well with the fans, with the city, with his teammates and with the manager.

I don’t see Griezmann leaving Atletico Madrid in January, so I think these stories about Man United look absolutely impossible.

Could Bruno Fernandes be the next big Saudi signing?

There have been reports linking Bruno Fernandes with Saudi Arabia, and I think stories like this are normal when we see what Saudi clubs have done recently and as we get closer to January.

Still, at the moment there is nothing, Bruno Fernandes is only focused on Manchester United, and their position is also very clear – he is a very important player, he is very happy there, and so there is nothing happening now.

For the future, of course, never say never, because Bruno Fernandes would be an attractive player for the Saudi league, but I wouldn’t expect anything to happen for him this January – he’s staying.

Ruben Neves could be an alternative to Douglas Luiz for Arsenal

Ruben Neves continues to be linked with Arsenal, and I think these stories come from the fact that Mikel Arteta has always been a big fan of the player. He has always appreciated him, since he was at Wolves, and his name has come up a few times in recent years whenever Arteta had discussions about targets with Arsenal director Edu.

I think that’s why there are these links, but at the moment there are no negotiations, and in fact the dream target for Arsenal in midfield is Douglas Luiz. It’s a complicated deal, though, because Aston Villa are having a fantastic season and they don’t want to sell an important player like Luiz in January.

I think it would take very important money to make Villa change their minds about Luiz, so he’s Arsenal’s dream target – they see him as a perfect midfielder with a big future, but unless they are able to come in with a very big package of money, it’s going to be very difficult for them to get this deal done.

Neves could therefore perhaps be a backup option in case Arsenal can’t sign Luiz, but for sure it’s going to be an interesting January for Arsenal because of the injury to Thomas Partey.

Meanwhile, Jorginho’s agent has also spoken about the player’s future, suggesting contract talks are at a standstill. However, my understanding is that there were never talks over a new deal – he joined eight months ago, so it was never a serious topic. He’s part of the rotations at Arsenal and no changes are expected – also with Partey injured Arsenal and Arteta need him as part of their squad.

What next for Antonio Nusa amid Arsenal links?

Antonio Nusa has been linked with Arsenal and others, and when I asked my sources for latest updates on his situation a few days ago, I was told that there is interest from more than ten clubs for this exciting young talent.

Some clubs in England, France and Germany love this player, but nothing will happen now, it doesn’t look likely for him to move in the January transfer window. Only a crazy offer could change the situation, but at the moment it’s very quiet because Nusa is not in a rush.

At the moment, it’s just about clubs scouting the boy, but he will take his time over deciding his future, and we could see something more concrete in the summer, but not now.

I do know that his agent is very well connected with top clubs around Europe, so I’m sure they will sit down together and try to work out what would be the right next step for the player.

Evan Ferguson unlikely to leave Brighton just yet

Evan Ferguson is another top young talent who inevitably attracts links with big clubs, but from what I’m told he extended his contract at Brighton because he’s very happy there, so we have to be respectful to Brighton.

Ferguson believes that Brighton is the perfect place for him to develop, so I’m not even sure we’ll see him move in summer 2024, maybe later in the future. He’s very happy at Brighton.

Sometimes in the transfer window crazy things can happen – Moises Caicedo, for example, left Brighton for huge money, so if they receive crazy proposals then maybe the situation could change, but for the moment they are very happy with him and they believe they can maybe sell him in two years for huge money, so I’d say the situation is more open for the future, rather than for the next year or so.

In other news…

Savio – Part of City Group at Girona, a potential future move to Man City was part of the original plan for Savio when they signed him. It’s a normal plan but it’s not something guaranteed or decided yet, they want him to focus on Girona as he’s having a great season. Despite rumours, Barcelona are not in concrete talks to sign him.

Estevao – PSG wanted to sign Estevao as well when they were in the race for Endrick, as he’s a top talent. They are still scouting him, but I’m not aware of any new bid or negotiation. There are many scouts from top clubs in South America monitoring him on a regular basis.

Robin Le Normand – Despite some reports, I’m not aware of any new centre-back targets for Manchester United other than the names I’ve already mentioned, like Jean-Clair Todibo and Goncalo Inacio. Also now new people will join the Man United board and they will decide on targets with the manager Erik ten Hag, so we will see many links, but there’s nothing concrete so far for Le Normand and United.

The post Chelsea star 99% gone, Lukaku clause, Arsenal midfield targets, and could Man Utd ace be next big Saudi signing? appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea star’s unofficial release clause

Mark Brus — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 10:46:00 +0000

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea have agreed on an unofficial release clause for Romelu Lukaku to leave the club next summer.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside on yesterday’s Debrief Podcast, Romano explained that the Blues reached a gentleman’s agreement with the player’s agent to allow him to leave for a fee of around €40million next summer, so as to avoid the complications they found when trying to offload him to the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus this year.

In the end, Lukaku ended up joining Roma on loan for the season, and it remains to be seen what decision they’ll make on the Belgium international as it looks like they’re set to go through a number of changes off the pitch, which could complicate decisions relating to signings.

Romelu Lukaku has shone on loan at Roma

Lukaku has performed well at Roma, so one imagines they’d do well to keep him, but Romano also says the unofficial €40m clause is open to any club, so if he continues to impress at the Stadio Olimpico, there could also end up being other suitors joining the race for his signature.

“From what I’m told, Romelu Lukaku has something like a release clause, but not a proper release clause,” Romano said.

More Stories / Latest News

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

“There is a gentleman’s agreement between the player’s agents and Chelsea, because they don’t want a situation like a few months ago in the summer transfer window when they had to negotiate with Juventus, then with Inter, then with Roma – it was a very complicated summer for Chelsea around the Lukaku story, and so there is now a possibility for him to leave for €40m – and that’s not just for Roma, that’s for any club.

“From what I’m told, Roma still have no clarity on what will happen next season with some key figures, such as manager Jose Mourinho and director Tiago Pinto – it’s therefore too early for Roma to decide if they can pay that money for Lukaku. We’ll have to see around March/April when things will become more clear.”

The post Exclusive: Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea star’s unofficial release clause appeared first on CaughtOffside.

9 goals in 13 games: On-loan Chelsea ace has decided where he wants to play next season

Saikat Chatterjee — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:43:23 +0000

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku wants to leave the club permanently at the end of the season and he wants to sign for Roma.

The 30-year-old Belgian is currently on loan at Roma and he has been outstanding for them. The Belgian international has nine goals in 13 appearances across all competitions and he will look to get his career back on track with regular football at the capital club.

It seems that Lukaku is enjoying his time in Rome and it is no surprise that he wants to stay there.

A report from Fichajes claims that Roma will need to enter into negotiations with the Premier League club in the coming months and it remains to be seen whether the two parties can come to an agreement on a reasonable fee.

Romelu Lukaku could finally be close to leaving Chelsea

More Stories / Latest News

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

The striker does not have a future at Stamford Bridge and it makes sense for all parties to move on. His move to Chelsea did not work out and the Blues will need to cut their losses on him and move on.

Lukaku is still at the peak of his career and he could be an important player for Roma in the coming seasons. The Italian outfit will hope that he can guide them to a league title like he did at Inter Milan.

Meanwhile, Roma will be delighted with Lukaku’s preferences so far and they will hope that he can sustain his current run of form until the end of the season.

The post 9 goals in 13 games: On-loan Chelsea ace has decided where he wants to play next season appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Jose Mourinho wants to bring Chelsea star to Italy next summer

Darren Looney — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 20:25:56 +0000

Roma want to sign Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal next summer once his season-long loan from Chelsea expires at the end of the season.

That is according to Sky Sports, who reports that the Serie A giants have been impressed by the Belgian’s impact in Rome and Jose Mourinho is determined to keep the striker around for the 2024/25 campaign.

Lukaku ended up at Roma after a messy summer, in which he was expected to go back to Inter but having flirted with a move to rivals Juventus, ended up sabotaging both moves.

That allowed Mourinho to swoop in and the former Chelsea boss has been getting the best out of the 30-year-old.

? Roma want to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently when his season-long loan from Chelsea ends next summer.

(Source: Sky Sports) pic.twitter.com/zwPaGbRTyV

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 9, 2023

More Stories / Latest News

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Lukaku has helped turn Roma’s fortunes around after a terrible start to their campaign, scoring nine goals across 13 games in all competitions.

It is uncertain how much the Belgian star will cost the Serie A giants next summer if they pursue a permanent move as Chelsea will not let the striker go cheaply.

On the other hand, it will not be massive money either as the Blues will be more than happy for Mourinho to take the player off of their hands.

The post Jose Mourinho wants to bring Chelsea star to Italy next summer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Video: Romelu Lukaku scores dramatic 94th minute winner for Roma after missing from the spot earlier

Mehdi Gokal — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 19:48:33 +0000

Romelu Lukaku had an eventful evening for AS Roma as they beat Lecce 2-1 in a dramatic comeback.

Lukaku missed a penalty early on in the game with the score 0-0. Lecce took the lead in the 71st minute and it looked like it would be a home defeat for Roma until Iranian international Sardar Azmoun came off the bench to equalise in the 91st minute.

And just three minutes later, Lukaku redeemed himself for his penalty miss with a brilliant finish to win it for AS Roma.

Watch the goal below:

ABSOLUTE SCENES! ?

After a missed penalty early in the game, Romelu Lukaku comes through with a magnificent finish in the dying moments, almost certainly securing the win for Roma! ? pic.twitter.com/JDooBS8HTW

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 5, 2023

??| GOAL: LUKAKU WINS IT FOR ROMA IN THE DYING MOMENTS!

pic.twitter.com/9eVQpVw0hL

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) November 5, 2023

Footage via Bein Sports

The post Video: Romelu Lukaku scores dramatic 94th minute winner for Roma after missing from the spot earlier appeared first on CaughtOffside.

‘I told Romelu what I thought’ – Chelsea loanee Lukaku slated by Inter chief

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 08:08:31 +0000

Romelu Lukaku has long since been an Inter Milan player, but that hasn’t stopped the club’s sporting director, Piero Ausilio, from reigniting the war of words with the Belgian hit-man.

Currently on loan to Roma from Chelsea, the player can join the Giallorossi permanently in the summer if they part with in the region of £40m to secure his services.

It isn’t clear at this stage if such a move will be forthcoming, however, it’s abundantly clear that he’ll never be welcomed back to the San Siro with open arms.

Romelu Lukaku in action for Inter Milan

“I prefer not to talk about a player currently at another club, I have never done that in recent months,” Ausilio was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

“I say that I like to think about the present and the future, Lukaku is part of the past: with him, we won a Scudetto, lost two finals, and he brought us an important capital gain.

“What happened? I prefer not to talk about it. All I’m saying is that there has to be politeness and respect: things were obviously going on, but at a certain point these conditions came to an end.

“There are deals that don’t get done, but if there is respect it is never a problem. When, on the other hand, one hides or sends replies via other people, then one thinks about moving on.

“For me it is a close chapter since July 8, there are no regrets. The famous phone call to Lukaku? It was something decided, nothing special. I told Romelu what I thought, after I hadn’t been able to contact him for a while.”

At best, Ausilio’s recollections show a lack of respect from Lukaku and a deep lack of professionalism from him.

That arguably goes some way to explaining why the west Londoners want to wash their hands of him too.

More Stories / Latest News

Chelsea fans need to wait longer to see huge summer signing in action as Fabrizio Romano provides injury update

Nov 24 2023, 12:54

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Nov 24 2023, 12:19

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

Nov 24 2023, 11:56

It should be remembered that however good a player is, he is still just an employee of a football club. If his values and way of working aren’t aligned with his employers then they’ve every right to make the decision to put him on the market.

Where Lukaku has to be careful of course is if Roma decide that they’re unwilling to part with the asking price, which would then leave the Belgian in a footballing no man’s land with, perhaps, only the Saudi Pro League to turn towards.

The post ‘I told Romelu what I thought’ – Chelsea loanee Lukaku slated by Inter chief appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Chelsea could get chance to re-sign former player but have another priority transfer target

Mark Brus — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:37:19 +0000

Chelsea could reportedly get the chance to bring Tammy Abraham back to the club as part of any deal to make Romelu Lukaku’s move to Roma permanent.

It remains to be seen if the Blues will decide to go for this, however, as it seems Napoli forward Victor Osimhen remains their top target up front, according to Calciomercato.

Abraham started brightly at Roma but has somewhat faded in more recent times, so it remains to be seen if he’d really be viewed as an ideal signing to bolster this struggling Chelsea attack.

Osimhen, by contrast, has been in truly world class form for Napoli, with the Nigeria international firmly establishing himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.

Victor Osimhen could be an ideal signing for Chelsea

More Stories / Latest News

Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford