Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku who is on loan at Inter Milan has no intention to return to the London club. On the other hand, the Blues seem to be planning a future without him as the summer transfer strategy has been outlined.
After a magnificent return to Chelsea in 2021, Lukaku was expected to take the Premier League by storm and net goals like he did at Inter Milan during his two year stay between 2019 to 2021. CFC broke their transfer record to secure the Belgian, paying €115 million to the Nerazzurri.
Lukaku struggled in Thomas Tuchel’s system and sending him on loan was the only viable solution. Inter Milan happily welcomed the burly striker back in Milan in the summer but Lukaku’s season has been full of ups and downs.
Romelu Lukaku has no intention to return to Chelsea
Inter signed Lukaku on a one year deal with no option to buy but there was hope that the Serie A outfit would either extend the loan or make an attempt to buy the Belgian down the road. The hopes kept on diminishing as Lukaku battled injuries and inconsistency this season.
Lukaku has missed a total of 21 games in all competitions because of three separate injuries this season. He has just four goals in 14 outings this term, minimizing the impact that the 29 year old could have on the team.
Lukaku finally seems to have put the injury worries to bed and is flourishing again in Inter colours. The Chelsea loanee has now scored back to back goals, scoring against Udinese in Serie A and netting the winner against Porto in Champions League round of 16.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the two goals scored by Lukaku have now increased the chances of him staying at Inter Milan. The 29 year old could play a key role in Inter’s progression in the Champions League and help in finishing in top four in Serie A. The report adds that the player has no intention to return to Chelsea and would want to be the ‘king of Milan’.
Even though there is no agreement between Chelsea and Inter for Lukaku, CFC seem to be planning a future without him. They are looking for a competent No.9 in the summer transfer market and names like Dusan Vlahovic and Victor Osimhen have already been linked. Lukaku’s time at Chelsea will be seen as a disappointment and it is best for all parties to turn the chapter and move forward.
Will CFC manage to offload Romelu Lukaku permanently in the summer?