It is known that Romelu Lukaku wants to be an Inter player again. In 2021 the Belgian striker was crowned Serie A champion with the Nerazzurri and was chosen player of the season. During his time at Inter, the 29-year-old player made 95 appearances, scoring 64 goals and providing 16 assists.
After that, he was signed by Chelsea for 115 million euros, Lukaku left Italy as a king to return to the London club after eight years. "I am happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club. It's been a long road for me, I came here when I was a kid who had a lot to learn, and now I'm coming back with a lot of experience and more mature”, he said.
But things didn´t happen as he had expected, and his place in the team was not important. He began to be a substitute and to have problems with the coach. During an interview he acknowledged: “I am not happy with the situation. Deep in my heart I hope to return to Inter". According to reports Inter would be willing to sign Lukaku on loan, and Chelsea would be willing to loan him out, but under one condition.
To let Lukaku leave on loan, Chelsea would demand Inter swap star player
La Gazzetta dello Sport said that Lukaku and Inter have already agreed on a contract, and it is believed that the sticker 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.
In turn, according to The Sun, the London club have asked Inter for 23.3 million euros if they want to reach an agreement for the striker's loan. However, Chelsea know that Inter can't afford to spend that much, let alone sign the player, so, according to the Evening Standard, the English club are planning to request Inter to swap Lautaro Martinez to release Lukaku.
The Argentinian played 41 of a possible 49 games last season and scored 21 goals. He also won the Coppa Italia and the 2022 Finalissima with the Argentine national team. According to a report by CIES Football Observatory, Martinez is the 11th most expensive player in the world and has a value of 106,700,000 million euros.
Martinez and Lukaku formed a great relationship when the two played together at Inter. In the season that the Nerazzurri won Serie A, the two scored 41 goals combined. It is hard to believe that Inter would let go of a player as important and valuable as the Argentinean.
Chelsea tried to sign the 24-year-old in 2021, and in an interview, Lukaku responded to the rumors and said: "Lautaro Martinez coming here with me at Chelsea in the future? No Lautaro, you can stay in Milan, I'll be back there”.
Furthermore, Martinez confessed that he has no plans to change teams, he said: "My plan is clear, I really want to stay at Inter next season. I have not received any communication from the club, I want to stay at Inter”. In this context, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, if Chelsea fail to convince Inter to reach an agreement for Martinez, they will try to agree on the arrival of Milan Skriniar or Alessandro Bastoni.
