Chelsea don’t mind whether Romelu Lukaku moves to Inter this summer. As long as he leaves the club, the destination doesn’t matter according to Saturday afternoon’s reports in La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The West Londoners only want to sell Lukaku and a loan deal is off the table. The club want to reserve its loan slots for sending young players out to help with their development.
In regard to Lukaku, Chelsea would ideally like to sell him before they jet off for their pre-season tour of the United States on Sunday.
Inter have been in discussion with Chelsea over a deal for the Belgian for a package thought to be worth €35m-€40m.
The Nerazzurri have reportedly had to wait for Andre Onana’s move to Manchester United to be finalised before being able to pay Chelsea the fee they desire.
Lukaku himself has also made it clear that he does not intend to rejoin his Chelsea teammates by not returning for pre-season training with the rest of the squad last week.
However, Friday evening’s reports highlighted that a deal had stalled somewhat as neither club have been able to get in contact with Lukaku’s lawyer, Sebastien Ledure, who has been heavily involved in negotiations.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Lukaku has been tempted by an offer from Juventus, who have matched Inter’s offer to Chelsea of around €35m. Specifically, Inter are said to have offered €35m plus €5m in add-ons, whilst Juve’s offer stands at €37.5m plus €2.5m in bonuses.
With Mauricio Pochettino having decided that Lukaku is not part of his plans for the 20223-24 season, La Gazzetta writes that Chelsea don’t mind where Lukaku plays his football next season, as long as he leaves the club this summer, ideally before Sunday.