As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on loan until June 2023 with Inter paying Chelsea an €8 million loan fee plus add-ons which will be related to team performances. The key detail in this move is that there’s no buy option or obligation clause for the Milan giants to buy Lukaku.
Romelu Lukaku Seals Return to Inter Milan on Loan
Chelsea Dream Turned Into a Nightmare
Lukaku signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2021, with the Belgian describing his move back to Stamford Bridge as a ‘dream’. Despite a promising start, the move quickly turned sour once Lukaku conducted his now-infamous interview and confessed his love for Inter Milan.
After the Belgian contracted Covid-19, Thomas Tuchel was reluctant to play his £100 million man, and Lukaku expressed his dissatisfaction with this during the interview. The interview was the beginning of the end of Lukaku’s 2nd spell at Stamford Bridge, as he openly criticised Tuchel and expressed his desire to return to Italy “in the near future”.
What Went Wrong for Lukaku
Following the interview, the rest of the season was filled with criticism and missed chances for Chelsea’s £97.5 million striker.
While in Italy, Lukaku was in scintillating form, his movement was sharp, and he was lethal in front of goal which convinced the Chelsea hierarchy to splash out a club-record fee. These assets deserted him during his 2nd spell at Stamford Bridge. His attitude was widely criticised, as was his work rate in general.
Read More: Chelsea Can Find Their Romelu Lukaku Replacement in Young Wonderkid
Despite losing a massive amount of money on this deal, Todd Boehly decided to facilitate Lukaku’s loan back to Italy after Thomas Tuchel signed off on the transfer. One positive of this mess is that Boelhy is clearly backing Tuchel, which shows they have belief in the German manager. With Chelsea prepared to cut their losses on Lukaku, it shows how strained relations are between the Blues’ manager and the Belgian striker after he criticised the boss in public.
Work in progress for Romelu Lukaku's comeback to Inter. Talks ongoing with Chelsea on the final loan fee, Inter will improve the opening proposal worth €5m plus €2m in add-ons. 🔵🇧🇪 #Inter
Next week will be key to speed up talks – as all parties want to find a solution soon. pic.twitter.com/LN65OuzBjN
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 19, 2022
