Inter Milan Set to Make £30m Offer for Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku
Italian giants Inter Milan are reportedly ready to make an improved bid of around £30 million plus add-ons for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku. This follows Inter’s initial offer of around £23 million, which was rejected by Chelsea, who are demanding £40 million for the player.
Lukaku, who spent the last season on loan at Inter from Chelsea, is eager to reunite with the Italian club rather than considering offers from Juventus or Al Hilal. The Belgian international had an impressive season with Inter, scoring 14 goals in 37 appearances.
Inter recently held a meeting with Lukaku’s lawyer to express their keenness for the player’s return. However, Chelsea is determined to recoup a substantial portion of the £97.5 million they paid to acquire Lukaku in 2021.
Despite the interest from Inter, the new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is open to working with Lukaku if the player is happy and wants to stay at the club. Pochettino has already overseen several high-profile departures from Chelsea, including Kai Havertz’s move to Arsenal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s transfer to AC Milan.
Another player who looks likely to join Loftus-Cheek at Milan is Christian Pulisic, while Lukaku himself has attracted interest from Inter and Al Hilal. Chelsea has already seen the departures of N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly to Saudi Arabia.
Lukaku’s return to Chelsea two years ago saw him score 15 goals in 59 appearances for the club in the 2021-2022 season before he sought a move back to Inter.
As for Chelsea, Pochettino’s rebuilt squad is currently in talks with Brighton over a potential deal for Moises Caicedo. They are also finalizing a move for Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca. Additionally, Southampton’s Romeo Lavia remains a target, although there is competition from other Premier League clubs.
Chelsea may also see departures for players such as Baba Rahman, Hakim Ziyech, Ethan Ampadu, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr, and Callum Hudson-Odoi before the transfer window closes.
It remains to be seen whether Inter Milan’s increased bid of £30 million will be enough to secure Romelu Lukaku’s return to the club. With Chelsea keen to recoup a significant portion of their initial investment, negotiations between the two clubs are set to continue.
