Napoli manager Antonio Conte has suggested he would be interested in signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea this summer.
Lukaku is free to leave Chelsea after spending the past two seasons out on loan and has been linked with a move to Napoli following Conte’s appointment at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Belgium international produced the best football of his career under the management of Conte at Inter Milan, where he scored 64 goals in 95 appearances across two seasons and won the Serie A title in 2020-21.
Chelsea have set an asking price of £38m for the 31-year-old, who scored 21 goals on loan at AS Roma last season. AC Milan and several clubs in the Saudi Pro League have been credited with interest in Lukaku of late, and Conte has suggested Napoli could rival that interest.
The Italian side are expected to lose Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window and Lukaku could emerge as a replacement for the Nigeria international. Conte called Lukaku a ‘top player’ and said the you ‘always hope to have a player like Romelu on your side’.
“He’s an excellent player, top player. There’s nothing else to say,” Conte said in comments published by Fabrizio Romano.
“You always hope to have a player like Romelu on your side… and not against you.”
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