Inter want to make Lukaku's loan deal from Chelsea permanent
FT Desk
- 18 Sept 2022 10:45 BST
- 3 min read
Romelu Lukaku is back on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea and took just two minutes to get back off the mark for his former employers.
Once a Chelsea youngster, Blues fans were excited when Lukaku returned to the club last summer in a €111.2 million deal.
The striker had most recently scored 64 goals in 95 games with Inter, lifting the Serie A title in 2020/21, but he struggled on his return to Stamford Bridge.
Eight Premier League goals from 26 games later, and Lukaku was allowed to return on loan to Inter for €8m. He duly re-opened his Inter account in their Serie A season-opening 2-1 win at Lecce.
The Lukaku x Lautaro connection is back, baby! 🔥pic.twitter.com/yTeWZ44pcQ
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 21, 2022
Lukaku took a pay cut to return to the San Siro, and it is understood that the player, as well as both clubs involved, are in full agreement that his future should lie in Italy.
Lukaku 'did everything' to return
"He did everything to return to Inter," Gianluca di Marzio told Sky Sports' Transfer Show. "I think Chelsea and Inter will find the best solution, maybe another loan, but I see his return [to Chelsea] as unlikely.
"In this deal, Inter paid €8m for the loan and would pay another €10m for a new loan next year. The price would then go down more and more if Inter decided to buy him back."
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What price Chelsea and Inter would agree on for a permanent move remains to be seen, but the Belgium striker is rated at €57m by Football Transfers' inhouse algorithm, and with €18m total already received, could they really ask for much more than the €39m of that that would be outstanding?
Lukaku would also be 31 by the end of next season, further driving his price down, so Todd Boehly and Co. could push Inter to buy the player on a permanent basis sooner than currently suggested.
