Chelsea complete sale at £67.5m loss on the eve of transfer deadline day

Chelsea have completed the sale of striker Romelu Lukaku to Napoli.

Lukaku rejoined Chelsea in 2021 for £97.5m (per BBC Sport) following two glittering seasons at Inter Milan in which he scored 64 goals in 95 appearances across all competitions, winning the Serie A title and reaching a Europa League final.

However, Lukaku struggled to rediscover his best form back at Stamford Bridge, netting just eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances — 15 in 44 across all competitions.

The 119-time Belgium international has subsequently spent the last two years back on loan in Italy, first at Inter and then at Roma last season, notching 14 goals in 37 appearances and 21 goals in 47 outings across all competitions for the two clubs, respectively.

Chelsea make major loss on Lukaku

Lukaku was just one of a host of senior players placed on the transfer list by Chelsea this summer and at last, he has completed his move away from the club.

The 31-year-old has joined 2022/23 Serie A champions Napoli in a deal worth £30m, which is a £67.5m loss on what Chelsea paid for the striker just three years ago.

Lukaku has penned an initial three-year contract with the Partenopei, with Calciomercato reporting that he will earn a salary of around €8m NET per season.

Romelu is proud to be one of us!

? #ProudToBeNapoli | #ForzaNapoliSempre | #WelcomeLukaku pic.twitter.com/Z4R4x4LVkz

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 29, 2024

Chelsea also saw homegrown midfielder Tino Anjorin depart for Italy recently, joining Serie A outfit Empoli.

Next on the list of potential outgoings are the likes of Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Carney Chukwuemeka and Axel Disasi as Enzo Maresca looks to thin out his bloated squad.