Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has reportedly been messaging former Inter Milan teammates, the club's president and officials over a possible return to the San Siro after an indifferent first year back in England with Thomas Tuchel's side.
Lukaku's displeasure at his time back in west London has been known since the start of 2022 when he came out with some explosive quotes to Sky Italia which had tainted all the build-up and preparation for the Liverpool home Premier League clash. Since then, the mercurial talent found some form at the end of the season but this seemingly hasn't been enough to make the 29-year-old happier with his situation, just one season after completing his club-record £97.5million move back to the Premier League.
Whilst away with his Belgium and after the most recent heavy loss in the Nations League to the Netherlands, his desires and wishes have apparently been confirmed by Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio. "Lukaku would like to come back. He would like to come back since he left. From January he would like to come back," Di Marzio confirmed via Wettfreunde.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly faces first Chelsea transfer dilemma that Romelu Lukaku decision has complicated
"It's not depending on him 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."
Di Marzio has also stated that Lukaku has been taking matters into his own hands in order to secure a move back to the San Siro. “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 stated in Monday's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, via SempreInter.com.
As well as this, it seems as though both clubs could now be open to the possibility of some form of compromise being made this summer amid two-year loan rumours. This comes in spite of the fact that Chelsea are reportedly still paying back some of the £97.5m fee that they splashed out last summer.
Meanwhile, it has been claimed that Inter have requested that Todd Boehly and his new board agree upon a 'salary-sharing' scheme which would be a win-win on both parties' behalf- Chelsea would offload an unhappy player whilst Inter welcome back their MVP winner of 2020/21.
football.london understands that any forward arrivals this summer - amid strong Ousmane Dembele rumours - will depend on Lukaku and other attackers departing in order to free up squad space and room on the wage bill.
'I think the key to potential arrivals in the final third – barring Dembele because of his contract situation – will depend on who from the current attack moves on: the futures of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku are all up in the air at the moment,' Chief Chelsea correspondent Adam Newson updated in his latest Q&A series.
Chelsea fans- What do you make of Romelu Lukaku and his possible transfer exit this summer? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
