Inter Milan to open talks with Chelsea over permanent Romelu Lukaku deal after Champions League final… though transfer may be complicated due to previous £100m price tag
- Romelu Lukaku loves Inter Milan though a permanent return could be tough
- The Belgian striker struggled at Chelsea following his switch from Inter Milan
- Inter hope to begin negotiations with Lukaku after their clash with Man City
Inter Milan will hold talks with Chelsea after the Champions League Final to discuss the future of Romelu Lukaku with the Belgian set to return to Stamford Bridge later this month.
Lukaku is pushing to start for Inter against Manchester City in Istanbul in what would be the final game of his second loan spell in Italy.
The Belgian loves Inter though returning on a permanent deal would be complicated, after Inter sold the 30-year-old to Chelsea for about £100milion in summer 2021.
Incoming Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to gauge Lukaku’s intentions before deciding on him – but would like to sign another centre-forward regardless.
In a rare interview with UK media, Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta said: ‘Romelu Lukaku is not only a good player but also an excellent professional. As you know he is on a loan deal with Inter.
Inter Milan will begin talks with Chelsea over the permanent signing of Romelu Lukaku after their Champions League final against Manchester City in Istanbul this weekend
Lukaku loves life at Inter but a permanent deal could prove to be difficult to get across the line
Lukaku struggled to live up to expectations after joining Chelsea in the summer of 2021
‘That ends on June 30 and he will go back to Chelsea. We don’t know what his future will be. Further down the line we will talk about it with Chelsea.’
Lukaku struggled in the first half of the season due to injury and made only five appearances before the turn of the year.
And when he did return, Lukaku struggled to find his way into the starting XI, with Simone Inzaghi preferring to pair Edin Dzeko with Lautaro Martinez up front.
Yet since scoring a hat-trick for Belgium against Sweden in a Euro 2024 qualifier in March, Lukaku has looked much more like his old self. He has scored nine times in his last 16 matches and Inzaghi faces a hugely tough call over who to choose as Martinez’s partner.
