Saturday, 6th August, 2011
Anderlecht have announced that they have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the sale of young striker Romelu Lukaku.
The Blues have been chasing the Belgian for most of the summer and Anderlecht recently confirmed that they were certain talks would yield a positive outcome if Chelsea increased the amount they were willing to pay.
This the English club have now done and though Anderlecht have not revealed the size of the fee which has been agreed, it is thought to be just above the €20M mark. Lukaku will move to Stamford Bridge once a medical has been passed and personal terms agreed.
Anderlecht had remained adamant that they would only sell Lukaku for a package which ensured they received €15M for the 18-year-old; with money due to Lukaku’s representatives totalling €5M, €20M would have guaranteed the Belgians the amount they required.
"It’s a shame we have to let go of Romelu, who was scouted and trained by Anderlecht", said the club’s general manager Herman Van Holsbeeck, "but the transfer is a win-win situation for the player and the club."
Anderlecht had expressed their hope that Lukaku could be loaned back from Chelsea for a period of six months to fulfil the wish of club president Roger Vanden Stock, who has been dreaming of pairing the young striker up with new signing Milan Jovanovic.
This though looks to have been vetoed by Chelsea, with Van Holsbeeck announcing: "The management is committed to finding a good replacement in the short term."
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