La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter were finally able to make contact with Romelu Lukaku late on Friday evening, but were furious about with the way in which his situation has been handled over the last few days.
The Nerazzurri thought they had reached an agreement with Chelsea for the permanent sale of the 30-year-old striker for a fee of €35m plus €5m in add-ons, but were met with radio silence when it came to getting the player’s final approval.
La Gazzetta claims that Inter had somewhat of a gentleman’s agreement with Lukaku to hold off on any other transfer until the club were able to raise the funds to secure his permanent signing.
As it turns out, Lukaku is reportedly interested in a potential offer from Juventus, who are said to be willing to pay Chelsea €37.5m up front, with €2.5m in bonuses.
Meanwhile, time is pressing for both Inter and Juventus, as Chelsea would like to sell Lukaku as quickly as possible, preferably before the team depart for their pre-season tour at the end of this weekend.
When Inter did eventually get hold of Lukaku, the discussions were said to be feisty. The Nerazzurri, as reported by La Gazzetta, feel like they have been “stabbed in the back.”
In these crucial hours, it remains up to Inter to decide what to do next. A deal can still be struck with Chelsea, and if Andre Onana’s sale to Manchester United goes through in the next few days, a deal for Lukaku could be pushed through fairly quickly.
However, after Friday’s ordeal, the relationship has taken a fairly significant knock.
Juventus, meanwhile, need to sell Dusan Vlahovic before bringing Lukaku in according to Saturday’s report.
Chelsea want a deal to be wrapped up as soon as possible and will likely sell to the buyer who offers the cash the quickest.