Aston Villa have reportedly maintained an interest in Romelu Lukaku and have seemingly made an offer close to Chelsea’s asking price.
According to Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are keen on Romelu Lukaku and have made a sizeable offer close to Chelsea’s asking price. Whether they are the Belgian’s preferred choice remains a doubt, as Napoli’s offer is not close to what the Blues want for the beleaguered striker.
Aston Villa still chasing Romelu Lukaku?
Chelsea still have a Romelu Lukaku-shaped hole to address in their squad, and there have not been too much progress made in a bid to offload him. The Belgian reportedly wants to join Napoli, and while the Italians are also keen on landing him, any deal will depend on the departure of Victor Osimhen.
Napoli have thought about including Osimhen in negotiations with Chelsea for Lukaku, although they have not managed to make any headway. Lukaku is eager to reunite with his former manager, Antonio Conte, and the feeling is mutual for the Italian, although a deal is nowhere near close.
There were rumours earlier of Aston Villa potetially looking at Lukaku’s situation, with follow-up stories claiming Lukaku rejected a potential approach from Unai Emery’s side. The report suggests Villa had made an offer close to Chelsea’s asking price and insists there’s a release clause, which the club were ready to trigger.
Napoli’s offer was reportedly £10 million short of Chelsea’s asking rate, which would suggest that Aston Villa’s offer would bring substantially more. However, there are doubts whether Emery has a credible interest, although they are one club in the Belgian’s chase that could offer Champions League football.
Villa’s interest used to pressure Napoli?
Napoli are unlikely to sign Lukaku without selling Osimhen, and that has been clear with the club. They may not be in a position to pay both these strikers huge wages and will have to balance their act by offloading the Nigerian. Hence, there’s an impasse in the deal, with Conte keen on the striker who scored 21 goals for Roma last season.
His agents might also be using Villa’s reported interest as a tactic to pressure Napoli to act quickly for the striker. However, Lukaku’s public stance might help Conte’s club to take things easy and make the move when the time is right.
