Club now set to bid £26m for Chelsea player, Pochettino doesn’t want him to come on pre-season tour

Add as preferred source on Google

Inter Milan are now preparing a bid to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as the Italian giants expect to come into some money soon.

That is according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

So, what is the latest on Romelu Lukaku? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well – according to the Mirror – Chelsea want the Belgium international to leave as soon as possible, and are only considering permanent destinations with loans no longer an option.

Inter Milan have so far struggled to fund a move for Lukaku, although a separate story from Gazzetta dello Sport states that the Italian giants plan to sell Andre Onana to Manchester United, and use the money to sign the 30-year-old striker.

Now, further details have emerged regarding the structure of Inter Milan’s offer.

Gazzetta dello Sport believe the UEFA Champions League finalists hope to take Lukaku on loan for the 2023/24 campaign, but with the intention of buying the Belgian for €30m (£26m) next summer through an obligatory clause.

Effectively, Inter Milan are open to buying the Antwerp-born striker back on a permanent basis, but would prefer to pay at the end of next season.

That offer is still £8m short of Chelsea’s heavily reduced £34m asking price for Lukaku, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Blues turn it down.

Chelsea paid £97.5m to sign Lukaku from Inter Milan in August 2021, so the Blues are already resigned to accepting a huge £63.5m loss.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the striker is pushing hard to leave Chelsea for Inter Milan, and has rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in favour of returning to the San Siro.

That looks likely to see him miss out on Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States, as the Telegraph believe Pochettino doesn’t want anyone who is planning to leave Stamford Bridge involved.

Chelsea must stand firm on Lukaku

In our view, Chelsea must be firm on their asking price for Lukaku and not let Inter Milan push them around.

£34m is already a very, very reasonable asking price for someone who cost almost £100m a couple of years ago, and with £43m expected to arrive from the sale of Onana, Inter Milan can afford to meet Chelsea’s demands.

Whatever happens, Chelsea must negotiate an obligation – not an option – for Inter Milan to buy Lukaku next summer if another loan deal is agreed, or else the Blues risk finding themselves in the exact same situation next year.