Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku is set to abandon ship with uncertainty in the air at Stamford Bridge.
Last summer, Lukaku became the club's record signing, with Thomas Tuchel planning an assault on the title and shipping out the likes of Tammy Abraham to bring the prolific Belgian to the club. The 28-year-old was the youngest overseas star to reach 100 Premier League goals in spells at West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Manchester United and of course his first tenure at Chelsea.
After a disappointing time at Old Trafford, Lukaku had rediscovered his golden touch at Inter Milan and there were big hopes for his return to west London – but an incendiary interview earlier this season in which he criticised Tuchel and stated he wasn't happy as a Blue lit a touchpaper between him and his new employers.
The striker has managed to patch things up but finds himself second in the pecking order to German starlet Kai Havertz. With Chelsea up for sale, rumours are now linking Lukaku back out of the Bridge.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku could be prepared to forego a portion of his mammoth £325,000-a-week salary in order to return to Milan, where he won a Scudetto as a talismanic striker a-top of Antonio Conte's team. The Blues are in crisis and potentially facing difficulties financially – and Tuchel, for one, would welcome a chance to offload an expensive player who hasn't dazzled as he would have wished.
Though the move has been touted already this season, though, it would come as a surprise.
Inter have seemingly moved on from Lukaku with new manager Simone Inzaghi employing a front two of Lautaro Martinez and former Manchester City and Roma striker Edin Dzeko. The Italian outfit are targeting a second Serie A title on the trot and many pundits have noted that they actually look better without Lukaku in tow.
Martinez, particularly, has shone without his former partner in crime and with the Nerazzurri lacking the funds to really challenge Europe's elite, they seem unlikely to throw a huge sum back at a player they made a healthy profit on and managed to adapt without.
Lukaku is valued at £90m by Transfermarkt.
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