It’s no secret that Romelu Lukaku would like Inter to negotiate a new deal with Chelsea but three key conditions must be met for an agreement to be reached.
The 30-year-old Belgian forward’s time in West London did not go well following his €115m move in the summer of 2021 and he pushed for a loan return to Inter last year. The Nerazzurri agreed a €20m total dry loan deal with the Blues, something that’ll expire in six weeks’ time.
After a disappointing start to the season, with various injuries forcing him out of action, Lukaku has finally started to show why he’s such a useful asset to Inter, scoring five goals and providing four assists in his last six Serie A appearances.
As detailed by La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport via Calciomercato.it, three conditions need to be met for Inter to agree a new loan deal with Chelsea, leaving Lukaku’s future in doubt still.
The first is that the Nerazzurri must secure qualification to the Champions League, something that they’re only weeks away from achieving.
The second is that new Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino does not want to include Lukaku in his squad for next season. Considering their lack of European football, the Belgian is an expensive luxury to have for the Premier League.
The third condition is Lukaku’s willingness to lower his wages. The €8m loan fee cannot be lowered, as it’s linked to the amortisation costs stemming from his €115m move to West London, so it’s up to the 30-year-old to drop his salary in order to make a deal possible.