Romelu Lukaku’s £30m Chelsea exit confirmed as Antonio Conte hails ‘unique’ star

Romelu Lukaku’s permanent Chelsea exit has been confirmed with the ‘unique’ striker joining Antonio Conte’s Napoli in a £30m deal on Thursday.

The Blues have been desperate to offload the Belgium international for a long time and have finally managed to get him off the books at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea signed Lukaku for a club-record £97.5m three years ago – in what was his second stint at the club – but it didn’t work out and he was sent out on loan twice.

It was a huge headache for Chelsea – given Lukaku was earning £325,000-a-week – but he’s finally gone and Conte is delighted to bring the 31-year-old to Napoli.

‘What can I say about Romelu,’ Napoli boss Conte said in a press conference after the club announced his arrival on social media.

‘He is a unique centre-forward. Usually the big strikers are a bit slow, or you have to use them as a target in the penalty area, or they don’t have the best legs to exploit the space on the pitch.

‘I have always described Lukaku as an American Football Player, he’s 1.90m tall, but very fast.

‘He is a powerful player, we need someone who can hold it up, bring other players in, find combinations, while also being a player who can attack spaces and cause damage. 

‘That’s why I consider him to be unique. Having already said that he’s a good guy, I would put my hand on an open flame for him, and he knows the responsibility that has for me, for Napoli and for the fans.’

Lukaku’s exit may open the door for Chelsea to sign Napoli’s star striker Victor Osimhen, although it should be noted that Al-Ahli are also strongly linked to him.

Napoli representatives flew to London last week for crunch talks with Chelsea over both Lukaku and Osimhen.

It was thought that the Italian club wanted to wrap up a deal for Lukaku before discussing Osimhen’s possible move to west London.

Napoli reportedly want £85m to part ways with Osimhen – and Chelsea now have some added money in the bank after the sale of Lukaku.