Giuseppe Marotta claims Chelsea must decide on the future of Romelu Lukaku
Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta said the onus is on Chelsea to decide what they want to do with Romelu Lukaku after the club ruled out another loan move for the Belgian superstar.
The Blues either want Lukaku to stay or leave permanently. But they are not willing to loan him out for another season to Inter, who have prepared another temporary bid for the Belgian striker.
However, this time Inter are willing to buy the striker but in 2024. They are keen to include an option to buy once Lukaku completes his second loan deal. Surely, it will count for little unless it is more of an obligation rather than an option.
Chelsea, who bought the striker for £98 million from Inter in the 2021–22 season, are hoping to recoup a respectable amount from his exit as they set his asking price at £34 million. It represents quite the fall off for a player who promised much in his second coming.
But Marotta has fired shots claiming they will not overpay for the veteran striker. Not even the Saudi Arabian clubs despite their wealth have deigned it proper to go overboard for the Chelsea star. As he said, his words have been quoted by Fabrizio Romano:
“Chelsea must decide what they will do with him; it’s normal that they can’t put him on the market and expect large fees. It’s no coincidence the offer from Saudi Arabia for Lukaku was around €50m.”.
Marotta is not completely right here, as many teams are interested in Lukaku, including Serie A rivals AC Milan and Juventus. However, the striker only wants to remain at Inter, leaving the club unsure of what to do about this predicament.
The 30-year-old also had an offer from a Saudi club but has ruled out any possible move to a Middle Eastern club and wants to continue in Europe only. Inter represents his best bet and letting him leave would be the best foot forward for Chelsea as well.
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Chelsea have decided that they do not want to send Lukaku out on another loan since Inter have made no effort to meet Chelsea’s valuation of the player. One way or another, the Belgian’s time at the club is coming to an end.