Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has been holding video calls with Inter Milan as he continues to explore the possibility of rejoining the Italian giants at the end of the season, according to reports. Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge in a club-record deal towards the end of the summer window but already looks to be keen on cutting ties with the Blues after just eight months on their books.
The Belgian marksman has been linked with a sensational move back to Inter since he confessed his love for the club and vowed to return one day in a bombshell interview at the end of last year. However, it seems as though he has been taking steps to accelerate the process over the last few weeks by chatting on video with those at the San Siro, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
It is claimed that a number of ‘exploratory calls and messages’ have been made with regards to Lukaku’s future as of late, with Inter said to be weighing up the possibility of bringing him back to the club in the summer months. The player himself has reportedly been reaching out to his former club, but not in the form of ‘a courtesy Whatsapp or nostalgic calls to old comrades’, which suggests that he is attempting to push the idea of a post-season return.
Inter are believed to be keen on welcoming Lukaku back to the San Siro but are wary of Chelsea’s current off-field situation and would like to wait in order to see what unfolds when the Blues are sold in the near future. The Italian champions would also need to sell at least one of their existing stars to cover the cost of a move for Lukaku, who has only scored 12 goals for Chelsea in all competitions this season.
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However, those in command at Inter are not prepared to rule out a move for Lukaku in spite of the challenges they would face in thrashing out a deal with Chelsea. The idea of a loan approach is said to have been discussed behind closed doors, but it remains to be seen whether the Blues would agree to ship out Lukaku on a temporary basis given the £97.5million fee they paid for his services less than a year Aug.
The Chelsea man could also be forced to accept a ‘necessary’ wage drop in order to return to Inter, who might only be able to pay the forward a yearly salary in the region of £6.2m. He is currently picking up around £10.4m per season at Stamford Bridge, but the report speculates that he may decide to ‘show a gesture of love’ by lowering his demands to facilitate the move ahead of next season.
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Lukaku is already said to have discussed the idea of leaving Chelsea with Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who has reportedly urged him to find a new challenge outside of London at the next available opportunity. He remains tied down to the European champions until the summer of 2026 after penning a long-term deal upon his arrival from him, but it appears as though his days from him could be numbered after failing to live up to expectations in the Premier League over the course of this season.
Chelsea’s record signing is yet to score a top-flight goal since the turn of the year and has been named on the substitutes’ bench in each of his side’s last three matches after falling out of favor under Thomas Tuchel. He has only registered a total of 12 league starts since the beginning of the campaign and was again overlooked for Wednesday’s clash with Spanish giants Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first-leg meeting.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism