Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio supposedly flew to London on Wednesday in order to conduct a face-to-face meeting with representatives from Chelsea over a series of potential deals in the upcoming summer transfer window, as reported by Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet claims that there are plenty of potential deals on the cards between the two clubs this summer, with some potentially in line to swap Stamford Bridge for San Siro and vice versa.
According to Calciomercato, the first order of business will have been the situation surrounding loanee Romelu Lukaku, who, despite a slow start to life back in Italy, put in a series of important performances for the Nerazzurri by the end of the season.
The player himself has reportedly expressed a desire to stay in Milan next season, however, negotiations will not be straightforward given that the Belgian international still has another three years left on his current Chelsea contract.
The West Londoners will also be keen to avoid making a substantial loss on their original investment, given that they brought him from Inter for what was then a club-record fee of €113m.
Another of the current Chelsea players Inter have a growing interest in is former Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly. Simone Inzaghi is said to be keen to bring in an established central defender to fill the void that will be left by the outgoing Milan Skriniar, who will join Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Failing Koulibaly, La Gazzetta dello Sport has written that Inter could propose a loan deal for 23-year-old Trevoh Chalobah, a “good friend” of Lukaku as put by the pink paper.
Also, and a slightly far-fetched suggestion courtesy of La Gazzetta, is a potential deal for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who has been heavily linked with a move to join rivals Milan in recent weeks.
Inter, who will wave goodbye to Gagliardini upon the expiry of his contract this summer, are also reportedly interested in bringing in some midfield reinforcements for the 2023-24 season.
Moving in the other direction could be goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Cameroonian, who joined on a free transfer from Ajax last summer, could land an enormous and quick profit should the Blues decide to lodge a formal offer. Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation needs addressing, with Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga’s long term futures uncertain.
Denzel Dumfries was also mentioned by La Gazzetta dello Sport, although Chelsea’s wing-back positions are not thought to be a priority this summer, given the presence of England international Reece James and the recent arrival of Malo Gusto from Lyon.