Chelsea set stunning loan fee to offload Romelu Lukaku to AS Roma - Reports

Chelsea want a fee of around £8-10 million to send Romelu Lukaku on loan to Serie A club AS Roma, according to Matt Law of The Daily Telegraph.

The Blues have been trying to get rid of Lukaku all summer, but there has been minimal interest in signing him permanently. Mauricio Pochettino's side have, therefore, made the Belgium international available on loan with less than a week remaining in the transfer window.

Roma have emerged as the frontrunners to acquire Lukaku's services after Chelsea made him available on loan. The Serie A club's officials are scheduled to hold direct talks with the Stamford Bridge outfit over a temporary deal for the striker today (Saturday, August 26).

According to the aforementioned source, the Blues are holding out for a fee of between £8 million and £10 million to send Lukaku out on loan. The Premier League giants are also adamant that they will not cover any part of the center-forward wages during the course of any deal.

Lukaku, therefore, has to reduce his annual salary to £7 million to secure a move to Roma. Should the transfer go through, he will reunite with Jose Mourinho, who he worked with at Chelsea and Manchester United, in Italy. He bagged 33 goals and 11 assists in 76 games across competitions under the manager.

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Juventus and Al-Hilal were interested in signing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea

Juventus have been credited with an interest in signing Romelu Lukaku, 30, this summer. However, the Turin-based club's desire to acquire the Belgian is conditional on Dusan Vlahovic departing. The Serb, though, is unlikely to leave, with the Bianconeri valuing him at £68 million.

It's also worth noting that Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal had reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Lukaku for £40 million. The Riyadh outfit were willing to meet the Blues' valuation of the player. However, the transfer collapsed after the striker refused to move to the Middle East.

The English giants reportedly hope there will be increased interest in Lukaku from Saudi Arabia before the window there closes on September 20. The center-forward's reluctance to move outside Europe, though, could force Mauricio Pochettino's side to sanction a loan move to AS Roma.

There have been claims that Roma's Serie A rivals AC Milan are keeping tabs on Lukaku's situation. However, Jose Mourinho's side are hopeful of wrapping up a deal as soon as possible after holding direct talks with the London giants