As it stands, Romelu Lukaku is still a Chelsea player, but this may come to an end very soon. The summer transfer window is now open. Chelsea have confirmed the sale of the club and sanctions on the club have been lifted. It's now the perfect time to address the elephant in the room.
Inter Milan are open to the return of Romelu Lukaku but at what cost? According to Sky Italia, Inter Milan will meet Romelu Lukaku's lawyer on Tuesday to enquire about the feasibility of a potential move back to Serie A. There are a number of ways that this could go down, but ultimately, Marina Granovskaia and her team of negotiators may have to take a loss.
Chelsea could sell or loan Lukaku back to Inter Milan. Or they could opt to keep him at the Bridge with hopes to see some sort of improvement next season. The options are there, which is the better one?
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Sell Romelu Lukaku
The problem with selling a player that you bought for £97.5million last season, is that you are almost certainly guaranteed to make a major loss. There is no chance that Giuseppe Marotta, CEO of Inter Milan, approves a return for the same amount. The I Nerazurri ended the season two points adrift of Serie A champions AC Milan. It's arguable that a striker like Lukaku could have got them over the line in their hunt to retain the league title, but earlier in the season Marotta claimed that there was no difference, with or without him.
“Lukaku was sold for €115m (£97m) and we bought Dzeko for free. On the pitch, there isn’t much difference,” said Marotta, speaking to Corriere della Sera in October.
Since then Inter have had a change of heart and it could serve Chelsea best to get him off their books. The Belgian earns £325,000 a week, a salary that large could be used to fund a better player fit for Thomas Tuchel's football.
On top of this, Lukaku appears not to want to stay at Chelsea, so why keep him hostage at the club? Chelsea should cut their losses and part ways completely. Unfortunately, the loan option may be the only way to do this.
Romelu Lukaku leaves on loan
The I Nerazzurri have run into financial trouble in the recent past so funding a permanent move for Romelu Lukaku this summer may prove difficult. According to La Repubblica (via Sempre Inter), a €20million (£17m) loan fee with a €70million (£59m) buy-obligation are terms that Chelsea are willing to negotiate. Throw in an agreement on the percentage of his wages to be paid and there's a deal.
It's probably more logical to take the loan route to please all parties. It gives Inter Milan the opportunity to raise the funds to buy the Belgian next season and takes a load off of Chelsea who will look to replace him this summer. Also, Lukaku will have his dream return back to Milan, just as he wished for in December during his surprising interview with Sky Italia.
Keep Romelu Lukaku
This is probably a worst-case scenario for several Chelsea fans. Since his interview with Sky Italia where he addressed the manager's tactics and Inter Milan fans, the Chelsea fanbase has not given him the warmest reception. In fact, there have been occasions when fans in the stands would shout negative remarks to the Belgian during matches.
Fans are unhappy with their £97.5million striker and unless he provides a remarkable season, this will not change. Keeping Lukaku would be a gamble. Chelsea should know better than to gamble. They've found themselves in a predicament where a number of players have been left on their books for too long. Danny Drinkwater, Timoue Bakayoko and Michy Batshuayi are just a few examples. If the Blues had cashed in once it was evident that they would not work out at the club, there would have been room for other more successful transfers.
If Marina Granovskaia cannot get the deal that she deems appropriate, Chelsea could see Lukaku fulfil his five-year contract. If this is the case, Thomas Tuchel will need to become more innovative with his ideas to include the Belgian. Otherwise, in this "new era" the Blues could find themselves making the same mistakes.
