Romelu Lukaku’s career intertwines with Serie A again as upcoming Napoli coach Antonio Conte sees him as Victor Osimhen’s heir. Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio states the former Inter and Juventus coach has made contact with the Belgium international to inform him of his desire to work together again.
Conte coached Lukaku at Inter. In fact, he made the 31-year-old central to his project at Giuseppe Meazza. It paid dividends as the Nerazzurri won the Scudetto in 2020/21, largely thanks to the Belgian’s exploits in the final third. It seems that Conte believes he could recreate that successful relationship at Napoli.
Osimhen is on his way out. Napoli will listen to offers for the Nigerian. He has a host of admirers across Europe. Premier League runners-up Arsenal are among the potential suitors. No matter the destination, the ex-Lille forward will leave the Diego Maradona Stadium in the coming months. His impending departure will leave a sizeable gap.
Lukaku, who enjoyed a decent season-long loan at Roma, could be a fitting candidate to fill the vacancy. His track record in Serie A is impressive, while he boasts a strong relationship with Conte. But Napoli would have to allocate up to £38 million to convince Chelsea to sanction a deal.
Considering Napoli should earn almost triple that amount from Osimhen’s sale, money wouldn’t be a problem. And with Conte in their dugout, they’d have an upper hand over other potential suitors.
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