It was finally confirmed that Chelsea has a new owner. The British government agreed to Todd Boehly’s purchase of the club in exchange for £4.25 billion. And the new owner is believed to provide a £200 million budget to Thomas Tuchel.
With this money, the Blues are expected to sign high-level players to compete again in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. However, there are many rumors that some players may eventually leave the English team.
Romelu Lukaku is one of the players who will most likely not play for Chelsea next season. The Belgian never felt comfortable in the team, did not have an important role, and also had problems with the coach. And the striker would already have everything agreed with his new club.
Lukaku willing to accept a €4.5 million pay cut to join Inter
The 29-year-old joined Chelsea in August 2021 from Inter in exchange for a fee of 113,000,000 euros, becoming the most expensive signing in the club’s history. Lukaku signed a contract until 2026, but within a couple of months of joining Chelsea, he made it known that he was unhappy at his new club and that never changed.
“However, I am not happy with the situation, that is normal. I am not happy with the situation. Deep in my heart, I hope to return to Inter and not to do it at the end of my career, but at a still good level, to aim to win more. I have always said that I have Inter in my heart and I really hope to play there again”, said the striker while he was a Chelsea player, something that neither the club nor the fans liked. This season, the striker played 29 of 44 possible matches and scored 15 goals.
Speculation over his future has restarted, and Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport state that the 29-year-old has agreed to rejoin Inter on loan for the 2022-2023 campaign.
According to the report, Lukaku would earn £6.4 million (7.497.600 euros) a year in wages, less than the £10.2 million (11.949.300 euros) plus £2.5 million (2.928.750 euros) in add-ons he earns with Chelsea. The Belgian would have a £3.8 million (4.451.700 euros) drop. According to the Italian daily, all that remains is for Chelsea and Inter to agree.
The loan would be for two seasons and with an option to purchase for 50,000,000 euros. It is believed that the Italian team intends to close the deal before the end of June to take advantage of the Growth Decree rule. The scheme lets teams in Italy buy players from abroad with significant tax breaks, as long as they stay in the country for at least 24 months.
At Inter, Lukaku made 95 appearances and scored 64 goals. He also won the 2020-2021 Serie A and was voted player of the season that same campaign.