Italian sources are confident Inter and Chelsea could agree terms for Romelu Lukaku’s loan move by the end of the week.
The clubs had their first direct contact this week and found their positions were closer than originally thought.
Just a year on from the €115m transfer, Lukaku is now determined to come back to San Siro and Chelsea are content to let him leave even at a loss, because he does not fit in with coach Thomas Tuchel’s tactics.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, the initial offer was a one-season loan for €5m plus €2m in performance-related bonuses.
This was rejected, but Chelsea did not give a specific sum they were looking for to make the deal stick, and they expect it to be circa €15m.
It is believed they can reach a basic agreement at €10m plus €2m in add-ons, with Lukaku helping them to get it over the line by accepting a big wage cut.
Sportitalia maintain the bid will climb to €7-8m, but does not mention performance-related bonuses.
Lukaku-Inter, i nerazzurri aspettano il secondo round con il Chelsea
Di @MatteoBarzaghi #SkySport #Lukaku #Inter #Chelsea https://t.co/zksJnp22Li— skysport (@SkySport) June 16, 2022
Stick to the 5! He wants out, we have the power.