Report: Roma rescue Lukaku from Chelsea purgatory after sealing loan deal

Roma reached an agreement with Chelsea on Monday to sign striker Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan deal, sources told to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

Roma will reportedly cover €7.5 million of Lukaku's original €11.5-million salary and pay Chelsea a loan fee worth more than €5 million.

Lukaku agreed to take a pay cut to make the deal work, according to The Telegraph's Matt Law.

Chelsea spent the summer trying to offload Lukaku, who returned to the club following a one-year loan spell at Inter Milan. The Italians wanted to re-sign the Belgian international on a permanent basis but abandoned negotiations when they learned he had been in secret talks with bitter rivals Juventus.

Juventus fans protested Lukaku's potential arrival during a preseason match earlier this month. Fans also unfurled a banner that read, "Lukaku, stay in Milan, we already have a second goalkeeper."

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino recently admitted the club had already decided to dump Lukaku by the time he took the job in May.

"The situation with the player you are asking is a situation that was already really clear before we arrived here," Pochettino told reporters. "There was a wish between the club and the player to try to find a solution (for a new club). At the moment, we are relaxed, and nothing happened. If something changes, we will inform."

Lukaku entered the last couple of weeks of the transfer window without any real suitors. Roma emerged as a last resort, with club owner Dan Friedkin reportedly flying to London to meet with the player and negotiate a lower salary.

Lukaku will reunite with Jose Mourinho at Roma. The Portuguese manager coached the 30-year-old during the early part of his career with Chelsea and again at Manchester United in 2018.