Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has all-but-confirmed that there is no way back for Romelu Lukaku at the club.
He told ESPN that the Belgian and the club currently have the same idea that his time at Stamford Bridge should be brought to an end this summer.
The Lukaku saga has continued to take twists and turns as the window has gone on, and now his future is uncertain as ever.
Originally, he was pushing hard for his loan move from last season to Inter Milan to be made permanent, after forcing his way there 12 months ago.
However, it has been claimed that him being benched for the Champions League final last season annoyed him to the point where he began to negotiate with other teams.
Lukaku not in Pochettino’s plans
This included Serie A rivals Juventus, and that annoyed Inter to the point where they no longer wanted to complete a deal.
The Turin side are interested in a transfer, however it depends on their ability to sell striker Dusan Vlahovic to any interested party.
Wherever he ends up, Pochettino has made it clear it will not be Chelsea.
He said: “I think it is obvious. I think we can repeat this.
“It is obvious what is going on with him. I think in between the club and the player, they share the same similar ideas and we are working on that to try to fix it and have the best solution for both parties.”
The Blues may be hoping secretly that a deal with Juventus does not actually come to fruition.
This is because of the opportunity to sell the Belgian to Saudi Arabia, with them happy to pay a large transfer fee to take the 30-year-old off their hands.
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