- 5 hours ago
Why Chelsea will perform another transfer U-turn on Lukaku
Robin Bairner
- 21 Nov 2022 10:15 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea are ready to recall Romelu Lukaku from his Inter loan at the end of the season, according to reports from Italy.
Lukaku has spent the season back in Serie A following an unsuccessful and unhappy second stint at Stamford Bridge during the 2021/22 campaign.
It had been expected that he would be allowed to spend next season on loan at the San Siro side, too, but the Nerazzurri’s desire could be thwarted by the Blues, who appear to have performed a spectacular U-turn on the 29-year-old striker.
Chelsea, Calciomercato reports, do not see a future at the club for the player they purchased from Inter for a club-record €115 million. Instead, they are worried about losing such a massive fee on the Belgium international, who is now valued at €52m by FootballTransfers.
Indeed, Inter are paying a reported €10m to have him back on loan this season, which is a mere fraction of the price they were paid for the player just 12 months earlier.
Chelsea are now reportedly looking at the maths behind the deal and are alarmed at the sheer scale of the loss they could make on Lukaku.
As such, they are willing to recall him from loan next summer and attempt to make a sale to another club.
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This in itself would be a risky strategy. Lukaku has been plagued by injury problems this season, and though he is at the World Cup with Belgium, he is reportedly set to miss the first two games because of an issue.
He has been restricted to five matches for Inter this season, and though he has contributed two goals and an assist in just 256 minutes on the field, there is a concern at the rate at which he has been picking up physical issues over the course of the last 18 months.
With many European clubs struggling financially, Chelsea would likely have to look to the Premier League market in order to make a sale. Lukaku has 121 goals in 278 appearances in England’s top flight, but with a large wage and an intimidating injury record, any club buying him would be taking a risk.
