Lukaku Wraps Roma Spell Early, Return Deemed Unlikely

Romelu Lukaku has likely played his final game with Roma and perhaps in Serie A altogether. He’ll be suspended for the season finale versus Empoli due to yellow-card accumulation. Despite his wish, the Giallorossi are unlikely to even try to bring him back from Chelsea, La Repubblica reported.

They’d have decent resources if they qualified for the Champions League. That hinges exclusively on Atalanta at this point. But they are expected to use them elsewhere rather than spend for a 31-year-old with a hefty valuation and wages. The Blues demand €43M for a permanent switch, which is too much for any Italian team.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport points out, Lukaku put up decent numbers with Roma, tallying 21 goals in 46 appearances, a lot more than in his previous two. He had the sixth most productive campaign of his career. However, he also failed to rise to the occasion in multiple crunch matches and had some untimely dry spells.

The Giallorossi paid €17M to have him considering the fee for the loan and his wages, €7.5M net and €11M gross. The suppression of the ‘Decreto Crescita’ is also a factor.

Our Take on Roma and Lukaku

It’s more likely than not that he won’t be back with them or Serie A in general, but the move seemed impossible at first the last time around too. Chelsea might get desperate and almost give him away at some point late in the summer. While no longer a star, he’s still serviceable.