Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Inter Milan for Romelu Lukaku that will see him return on a season-long loan.
The striker left Inter for the second time at Stamford Bridge in the summer for £97.5m, but scored just eight Premier League goals and made just 16 league starts in the league.
Lukaku will be as relieved as anyone to see this deal, having expressed his desire to return to Inter in December.
AFP
– Lukaku thrived under Conte at Inter, where they won the Serie A title together.
Lukaku got off to a satisfying start in England, however his blues career took a sudden downward turn following an explosive interview in December 2021 where he explained that he was unhappy at Chelsea and revealed his hopes of returning to the San Siro.
Inter, with whom Lukaku won the league in 2021, will pay an €8m loan fee plus add-ons, while reportedly taking home an €8m salary.
However, the club has no purchase option or obligation to purchase it in the contract.
But talkSPORT’s Danny Mills believes a separate permanent deal could be done between the two clubs within a year anyway.
“I think it was necessary for all the clubs and it clearly hasn’t worked,” he told Kick Off.
“It happens from time to time. Players move for a lot of money and it doesn’t work for some reason.
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GETTY
– At Inter, Lukaku showed arguably his best form and in two seasons in Italy. He scored 47 goals in Serie A
“The money is consequential for the Chelsea owners, they can write it off, that’s not a big deal. They will probably get £10m in terms of his loan, Inter Milan will probably play most of his salary, so he is out of the wage bill.
“What is the option? Keep him there, keep him in the bank where he’s disruptive and unhappy or use that money that’s going to work and be part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans.
“We all thought that Romelu Lukaku was going to be a success but for some reason it hasn’t worked out. Perhaps the Premier League is too much for him. It didn’t work out for him at Manchester United, he didn’t look good, he changed that when he went to Inter Milan and then went back to Chelsea and he didn’t look good again.
– Unsurprisingly, relations between Tuchel and Lukaku have been frosty since that interview last season.
“Sometimes as a business you just have to cut your losses. If he plays really well and does fantastic for Inter Milan and they win the league and get into the Champions League and are challenging, then they’re definitely going to go in for him.
“If Chelsea turn around and say ‘give us £60m for him’, as well as getting £10m this season, in one season they may have lost just under £20m. It’s not a big dent.
“This is how the owners of Chelsea will see it.”
Lukaku joined Inter for the first time in 2019 from Manchester United and scored 64 goals in two seasons, helping Antonio Conte’s side end Juventus’ dominance.
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