According to The Athletic (Subscription Required), Chelsea have not thrown in the towel in their pursuit of Inter Milan ace Romelu Lukaku.
A former Blue, he never scored a single competitive goal for the club during his time at Stamford Bridge. He has had better luck elsewhere and made a name for himself at Everton and Manchester United. It is, however, at Inter Milan that he has come into his own as a serial goalscorer.
Lukaku was outscored by only Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A last season as the Nerazzurri won their first Scudetto in 11 years. Chelsea appear to be intent on bringing the player back and have already made two unsuccessful bids to land him this summer, with a third one on the cards.
Chelsea’s actions fly in the face of Inter Milan’s insistence to keep hold of the player. Inter Milan’s chief executive Beppe Marotta is not ready to sell the player while Lukaku himself is also not keen to return to the Bridge. (h/t The Athletic)
Whether Chelsea sees a reason to change his mind or believe they have no chance of landing Erling Haaland and have recalibrated their plans remains to be seen.
A deal for the Belgian will be difficult and Chelsea are well aware of it. This has, however, done little to throw them off. According to the report, Chelsea are the only English side Lukaku would be tempted to return to, should he make a move.
Despite selling Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan are still in the red financially. The wage bill remains an issue and needs to be cut by 15-20 per cent. While offloading Lautaro Martinez will buy them some breathing space, it will not be enough. In contrast, Lukaku not only currently earns three times what the Argentine earns but can also fetch double Lautaro’s valuation in the market. (h/t The Athletic)
Lukaku has three years left on his contract and won’t push for a move back to London. With Chelsea not shy to make a record bid, it remains to be seen if Inter will finally cave. Inter fans were livid when Ronaldo was sold to Real Madrid in 2002 and they may not take kindly to their current championship-winning side being broken up.
A player who has often divided opinion, a homecoming to Chelsea would have given him the opportunity to silence his doubters once and for all. But then one can argue he has already done that by leading Inter to the Scudetto last season. Staying put to repeat the feat would further cement his status at the club.
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