Reports: Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku pushing a move back to Inter Milan
Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has supposedly been attempting to force a move away from West London, back to Inter Milan.
The latest reports come from popular transfer specialist Gianluca Di Marzio, who has revealed that the Belgian is in constant pursuit of convincing both the parties of his desire to return to Italy.
Whilst Chelsea solidified their defense and in turn, lifted the Champions League title come the end of last season, there was a popular demand for a striker who’d score over 20 goals and pilot the club back to the top of the Premier League, if not fight closely with Manchester City and Liverpool.
They broke the bank and their transfer record by signing former striker Romelu Lukaku for an astonishing £97.7 million, after his immaculate displays for Inter Milan.
It started well for the centre-forward, but injuries, COVID-19 and simply the lack of production up front led to him being side lined for a good chunk of the term. Coming out in the press and aiming a jab at Chelsea didn’t help his case either. Although he netted 15 goals in 44 appearances, he was a pale shadow of the combative striker fans expected.
From Di Marzio’s latest comments, it’s believed Lukaku is desperate to return to Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A title. The journalist remarked, “Lukaku would like to come back. He would like to come back since he left. From January he would like to come back.”
“Since last Christmas, Lukaku has been sending public and private messages to Inter, calling the directors and the coach, former teammates and the President, ready to leave a third of his salary in London, ready to do everything he can to make the impossible possible,” he added.
Not only does that create an awkward situation at Chelsea, who only recently finalized the takeover by Todd Boehly and co., and have a lot of work to do in the transfer window, but it also sparks unwanted negotiations due to his attempt to force a move from the team.
Based on the report, it’s also believed that the Blues, often regarded as shrewd negotiators, will not let him leave on loan unless he takes a pay cut and Inter fuel a huge sum as the loan fee. Undoubtedly, they’ll require compensation as they look to invest elsewhere amidst the departure of other players.
The ball’s certainly in Chelsea’s court, as Di Marzio confirmed, “It’s not depending on him [Lukaku] or Inter. It only depends on Chelsea and I would really be surprised if [they] loan him without any fee after battling to have him for €150 million only 12 months ago, and I think it should be surprising if a club like Chelsea would let him go on a loan without any compensation.”
Lukaku’s recent off-field antics call for a better strategy in the transfer window as far as Chelsea are concerned. Fair to say, there were not too many forwards available in the market when they signed him, despite the process being a remarkable one that was well-executed.
The seven touches he recorded against Crystal Palace in Chelsea’s 1-0 win was a clear indication of both the player’s work rate and the system where he doesn’t seem to fit into comfortably.
Lukaku was meant to be the missing piece in the puzzle, but now he seems to be causing more problems than solving. Elsewhere, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner’s futures are also hanging in the balance.
Also read: Pulisic to Liverpool?
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: crommelincklars. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.