Lukaku destined for Inter return amid Chelsea chaos?

Romelu Lukaku still keeps Inter close to his heart and the chaos at Chelsea may facilitate his return to the Lombardy capital in the summer.

As highlighted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, three conditions would need to be met in order for the Belgian star to make his return to the Nerazzurri later this year. The first of these is that Chelsea would need to be sold by the British government in the coming months, making it likely that Marina Granovskaia would depart. A shrewd businesswoman, she’s unlikely to sign off on a Lukaku departure 12 months after his arrival.

The second condition is that Chelsea must be willing to send the Belgian striker back to Italy on a loan deal. The reason for this is fairly obvious, as the Milanese club are not in a position to make a large financial investment.

The final condition is that Lukaku must agree to reduce his salary. He currently earns around €12.5m net per season with Chelsea, figures that Inter obviously cannot match. The former Everton and Manchester United man previously earnt €7.5m net plus add-ons in Milan and it’s likely that he’d be offered a similar amount again.

There’s a couple of important considerations that Inter must keep in mind, however. The first of these is that Chelsea’s future is incredibly uncertain and so it’s risky to make any serious plans regarding a Blues player. The second is that the Nerazzurri may face significant competition for the Belgian forward and it’s likely that they’d lose out should a bidding war kick off, so they’d need to work efficiently.

There’s a chance that Antonio Conte’s Tottenham could look to compete with the Milanese club for Lukaku, but Harry Kane’s recent statements professing his happiness playing under the Italian coach make the possibility of a move to North London look slim.

Ingaggio, formula e presidente: #Lukaku, c'è la via per l'Inter https://t.co/46y3x69MKg

— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) March 11, 2022