Serie A giants Inter Milan are reportedly prioritising a move for Belgian hitman Romelu Lukaku, who could leave Chelsea this summer.
A report by Italian outlet Calciomercato has offered an update on the Romelu Lukaku transfer saga, which has taken a fresh twist, with Inter Milan reportedly looking to capitalise on the Chelsea striker’s split from his agency.
Romelu Lukaku could be on his way back to Inter Milan, with the Serie A heavyweights making the Chelsea forward their top transfer priority. The Nerazzurri are pushing for a deal for their former striker over the acquisition of free agent Paulo Dybala.
The 29-year-old returned to Chelsea for a club-record deal of over £100 million last summer. The move, however, has been a complete disaster, with the Belgian netting just eight Premier League goals and falling out of favour under Thomas Tuchel.
The Belgian international has struggled to impress on the pitch, and his return to Stamford Bridge has been marred by repeated stories of his dissatisfaction, making him an unpopular figure among the Chelsea fanbase. That has led to a belief that Lukaku could cut his second stint with the Blues short after just 12 months or so, having failed to live up to his price tag.
Lukaku has made no secret of the fact that he would like to make the move back to Inter Milan thanks to the contentious interview with Sky Italia which was aired a few months ago. He had a fruitful two-year stay in Italy, scoring 64 goals in 95 games and helping the Nerazzurri win the Serie A title last season.
Recent reports suggest Lukaku has parted ways with Federico Pastorello, the agent who facilitated his Chelsea return and is set to meet with Inter’s hierarchy alongside his lawyer in an effort to force through a return to the Giuseppe Meazza.
The Chelsea striker’s willingness to relocate appears to be backed by the Serie A club, with Inter currently looking at options to structure the deal. Their poor financial situation likely forcing them to broker a loan deal, especially with Lukaku ready to take a pay cut to return to San Siro.
This renewed interest, though, could jeopardize their much-anticipated move for Paulo Dybala, who has been heavily linked with Inter Milan after failing to agree on a new deal with Juventus.
The report adds that the Inter hierarchy are not putting all their eggs in the Lukaku basket and have set the final days of next month as a deadline to finalise a deal for the Chelsea forward. And if it does not materialise by the end of June, the Serie A club will then lean towards closing a Bosman move for Dybala, who is also courted by AS Roma.
From Chelsea’s perspective, there is just no way that they can afford to let Lukaku leave the club without some sort of financial gain or leverage if possible. The Blues will lose some major defensive players, so it would not be a surprise if they want someone like Alessandro Bastoni or Milan Skriniar, who have been recently linked with them, on favourable terms in a swap.
