Romelu Lukaku, a striker for Chelsea, will reportedly return to Inter Milan on a one-year loan agreement after a poor stint with the Premier League side.
Lukaku allegedly agreed to a wage cut to leave Stamford Bridge, and Inter is said to have negotiated an eight million euro ($8.4 million) loan fee to sign him. The Belgian said that his move to Chelsea, where he had previously played from 2011 to 2014, was an emotional homecoming.
He signed for the team in a club-record 97.5 million pound deal at the start of the previous campaign. However, the 29-year-second old’s tenure with Chelsea rapidly went south after scoring four goals in his first four outings.
Although Lukaku, a former player of Manchester United and Everton, finished this season as Chelsea’s leading scorer with 15 goals, he only netted eight goals in the league.
He only scored three goals in his last 15 top-flight games, failing to make up for his high transfer cost.
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In a contentious interview with Italian TV in December, Lukaku said he was dissatisfied with the way Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel utilized him and gave the impression that he was already considering leaving.
Following his outburst, Lukaku was momentarily benched by Tuchel and was compelled to apologize to Chelsea and the team’s supporters in January. Lukaku won the Serie A championship with Inter in 2021.
Although Tuchel’s team won the Club World Cup and finished third in the Premier League, they were defeated by Liverpool in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
Lukaku is said to have pushed for the transfer back to Inter, and Chelsea’s new co-owner Todd Boehly has already made an impression by approving the star’s departure.
The Blues will be free to focus on looking for a replacement and strengthening in other team areas once Lukaku’s transfer is finalized.
Chelsea covets Robert Lewandowski despite his desire to go from Bayern Munich to Barcelona.
Chelsea may be able to take advantage of Lewandowski’s uncertain condition due to Barcelona’s financial difficulties.
However, the looming departure of Lukaku may encourage Tuchel to adopt a more flexible strategy without a single focal-point striker.
Raheem Sterling, a winger for Manchester City, is a target for Chelsea due to his willingness to leave the Premier League winners after only one season of service.
Jules Kounde, a French defender for Sevilla, is another player Tuchel would like to sign.
