Thomas Tuchel would be open to parting ways with Romelu Lukaku, but it remains to be seen if Chelsea will agree to loan the player to Inter after signing the striker for €113m less than a year ago.
The Belgium international has struggled to justify his price tag at Stamford Bridge, scoring just 15 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions.
He lost his starting spot in the second part of the campaign and things have gone uphill for him after he released an interview with Sky Sport Italia in December, apologising to Inter fans for the way he had left and saying he was open to returning.
Multiple reports in Italy now confirm that the striker is pushing to return to Inter, but the Nerazzurri can only afford him on loan until June 2023.
Tuchel has already spoken about the matter with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and the German tactician is ready to part ways with Lukaku as he is eager to develop the team without the 28-year-old at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea arguably played a better brand of football without Big Rom last season, so Tuchel won’t stand against his departure.
However, Lukaku’s return to Inter wouldn’t make sense for Chelsea from a financial point of view, especially because the Nerazzurri can’t buy the striker permanently.
Ideally, the Nerazzurri also need to finalise the deal by the end of the month to use the Growth Decree and get a 50% cut on the player’s gross salary.
Chelsea can do without Lukaku on the pitch, but his return to Inter for nothing would affect the club financially. According to the latest reports in Italy, the Nerazzurri could either pay €25m for the player’s loan for one season or offer one of their stars in a swap deal. Meantime, Lukaku has made it clear that he wants to leave his club and return to the Stadio Meazza.
Chelsea open to sending Lukaku back to Inter on two conditions