Napoli Primed for Showdown Talks with Unhappy Lukaku | OneFootball

Romelu Lukaku is about to return from his post-World Cup vacations, and the conversations to sort out his Napoli future, involving also Massimiliano Allegri, will ramp up. The parties are distant from finding a solution, Gazzetta dello Sport informs.

The striker has no plans to spend a campaign backing up Rasmus Hojlund, who was recently bought out for over €40M. The new Partenopei gaffer has exclusively rehearsed schemes featuring just one striker so far. The gaffer has frequently utilized 3-5-2 in his career, but they have a few wingers to employ.

Napoli can’t give Lukaku the prominent role he aspires to. At the same time, they have no interest in keeping a reserve with a €11M gross salary. The center-forward seemed surely destined to leave after last season’s events, but he had changed his tune earlier in the summer.

The Azzurri suggested extending his contract to dilute his wages to make them more manageable, but they were rebuffed. His exit isn’t easy to orchestrate, considering his age, demands, injury history, and €10/12M valuation. The side aims to avoid a loss on its balance sheet. The team is hoping his performances across the pond will help in that regard. He wasn’t a full-time starter for Belgium, but still made his presence felt with three goals and one assist.

Our Take on Napoli and Lukaku

He’s proven he can be dangerous in small doses, but the club also has to weigh other stuff, especially the economic side. Everything points toward an exit, with perhaps Saudi Arabia or the MLS coming to the rescue, if the Azzurri aren’t too rigid on his price tag. But, as often happens with him, it’ll get messy first.