Romelu Lukaku is in Italy to complete his loan move to Roma (LaPresse/Shutterstock)
Jose Mourinho helped convince Romelu Lukaku to join Roma as the Chelsea striker closes in on a return to Serie A.
Lukaku had been holding out for a move to Juventus this summer but the Italian club were unable to reach an agreement with Chelsea and also faced backlash from their own fans over their move for the Belgium international.
A return to Inter was also dismissed after they were angered by Lukaku’s decision to secretly negotiate with Juve.
Lukaku rejected offers from the Saudi Pro League as he is keen to continue his playing career in Europe, but with Friday’s transfer deadline quickly approaching, the striker appeared to be running out of options.
That was until Roma made an approach last week and Mourinho’s side have moved quickly to agree a season-long loan deal with Chelsea.
According to The Independent, Mourinho played a key role in persuading Lukaku to join Roma as he personally spoke to the 30-year-old on the phone last week.
Romelu Lukaku was greeted by Roma fans on Tuesday (LaPresse/Shutterstock)
The report claims that Mourinho told Lukaku: ‘We have a good team but we are missing a champion.’
Mourinho is also said to have detailed how Lukaku will fit into his attacking plans alongside Paulo Dybala, who had attracted interest from Chelsea earlier this summer.
Lukaku arrived in Italy on Tuesday in order to finalise his move to Roma.
The Serie A club will pay Chelsea a €5 million (£4.3m) loan fee.
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Mourinho had a phone call with Lukaku to convince him to join Roma.