Transfer Talk: No Luk involved in Romelu's Roma renaissance

Romelu Lukaku may be forgotten in the Premier League but the Belgian is enjoying his loan spell under Jose Mourinho at Roma.

The 30-year-old has scored six goals in Serie A this term and bagged four in one match for Belgium against Azerbaijan during the international break.

With Chelsea seemingly uninterested in retaining his services, Lukaku may find himself searching for a new permanent home in the summer.

Ahead of Roma's clash with Udinese, we take a look at what the future may hold for the seasoned striker.

Roman spirit

Lukaku is the perfect fit for a team moulded by Mourinho, who values a forward capable of holding the ball up and dominating his opponents.

The former Manchester United man has previously said he would run through walls for his current boss and is proving it on the pitch.

Only Lautaro Martinez and Olivier Giroud lead the 113-cap international in the Serie A goalscoring charts and the latter has only managed four from open play — two fewer than Lukaku.

He may not be valued in West London but both Inter Milan and Roma have now seen the quality the ex-Everton man possesses and a permanent move to one of Italy's top clubs appears likely next summer.

No hard feelings

Former West Ham and Scotland striker Frank McAvennie believes there is no way back for Belgium's all-time top goalscorer at Stamford Bridge and that Rome is the perfect city for the powerful forward.

He said: "That's it now, Jose Mourinho has been saying things about him, I don't think he'll come back to Chelsea.

"Mourinho, for me, he looks after players and they look after him on the park. Lukaku's been all over the place. He's not been grounded. Rome isn't a bad place to play football!

"I think he may have found a home and a manager that loves him, puts his arms around him and he'll show that back, too. 

"It's a great deal all round because he won't play well for Chelsea — he won't play for them ever again."

Bidding wars

It is unlikely that Chelsea will be able to recoup the near £100million fee they paid for Lukaku over two years ago.

But with the 2021 Scudetto winner fit and firing, they may be able to prompt a bidding war when the summer transfer window opens.

He was originally signed as a replacement for Tammy Abraham, who is still sidelined having suffered an anterior cruciate ligament last season.

But when the Englishman returns Lukaku may find himself fighting for a place in the starting XI, which could be good news for clubs in Saudi Arabia as they look to continue building their monopoly of European stars.

A return to the Premier League cannot be ruled out either and with a reported price tag of around £37m set by the Blues, Lukaku will surely have plenty of suitors in 2024.

Speculation will continue until his future is resolved but he has the chance to prove himself once again when Roma face Udinese on Sunday.