Romelu Lukaku is eyeing a move back to Inter Milan.
But the potential move promises to be highly complex and difficult to broker to stand a chance of getting done this summer. Chelsea will want the vast majority of the record £97.5m they paid to sign him from Inter last summer.
They simply cannot afford to take a huge financial hit even if they wanted because of the impact it would have on their Financial Fair Play allowance. That could mean they agree to an expensive loan deal with Inter having to pay a huge fee to get him for a season then a fixed price of around £65m next year to complete the deal permanently.
Lukaku is 29 so there is little sell-on value and he would be going back to a former club for the second time in his career, having had a spell at Chelsea earlier in his career. But the deal is also further complicated by Lukaku‘s agent situation as he is in the process of switching representation.
Belgian lawyer Sebastien Ledure is now the man charged with trying to broker the move back to Inter Milan this summer. However, Lukaku’s representation contract with Italian agent Federico Pastorello does not expire until June 30 and any deal done or even negotiated during that time may leave him facing a costly settlement.
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Lukaku has been through agents like nobody’s business from Mino Raiola, to Roc Nation and now with a lawyer with agents looking like they are left to pay the price for his moves not working out rather than the player himself. Lukaku is on around £300,000-a-week at Chelsea which is way beyond Inter’s pay structure but the Belgian might have to take a pay cut to push the deal through.
Clearly Lukaku had endured mixed fortunes at Chelsea last season after falling out of favour with Thomas Tuchel. Lukaku did a bombshell interview which he sorted out himself saying he wanted to return to Italy and detailing issues at Chelsea.
Speaking at the time, he said: "Physically I'm fine, even better than before. After two years in Italy, in which I worked a lot at Inter with trainers and nutritionists, I am physically fine. But I'm not happy with the situation, this is normal.
"I think the coach has chosen to play with another system, I just have to not give up and continue to work and be a professional. "I am not happy with the situation, but I am a worker and I must not give up."
And now it appears he might get his wish of another reunion, this time back at Inter.
