Chelsea coach Graham Potter admits he is an admirer of Romelu Lukaku and hints the striker could remain at Stamford Bridge next season: ‘It’s something we have to talk about in the summer .’
Lukaku returned to Inter on a season-long loan deal last summer but has been struggling under Simone Inzaghi, scoring five goals in 19 appearances across all competitions.
“At the moment, he’s not our player but he is our player,” Potter said at a press conference on Friday, as quoted by Football London.
“He’s on loan at another club and I think it’s important that he finishes that off and finishes the season well. Then we have a decision to make in the summer. He’s someone that I admire a lot, I like a lot but again it’s something we have to talk about in the summer.”
Inter director Beppe Marotta confirmed in March that Lukaku would return to Chelsea at the end of the season, although the Nerazzurri could sit down with the Blues again, trying to bring the striker back to the club for a third time.
Inter do not have an option to make Lukaku’s move permanent, but according to several reports in Italy, the 29-year-old wants to remain at the Stadio Meazza in 2023-24.
However, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Saturday that the Belgian striker wants to be more involved under Inzaghi, having only played two games from start to finish this term.
Lukaku scored four goals in two games for Belgium during the international break, but the last time he scored from open play with Inter was more than seven months ago, in an away win over Lecce in August.