Chelsea could lower their demand regarding a loan fee for Romelu Lukaku this summer, amid interest from Inter Milan, according to reports.
Lukaku has struggled to find his form of the past during his time at Chelsea, netting 15 goals throughout a controversial season.
Back in December, Lukaku sat down with Sky Italy to conduct an interview that all but sealed his future away from Stamford Bridge.
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The Belgian openly criticised the tactics of Thomas Tuchel while also admitting that he would like to return to Inter one day, just months after a club-record move to Chelsea.
Kai Havertz was then handed the opportunity upfront and kept Lukaku out of the team for months, and now it appears that the former Inter star will return to the San Siro on loan this summer.
It has now been revealed that the Serie A side understand that to re-sign Lukaku, it will not be enough to pay his salary, but will also have to pay a loan fee.
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Chelsea were hopeful of securing €25 million as the initial loan fee as they owe Inter €23 million as an instalment in the deal for the upcoming season.
However, Milan newspaper Il Giornale have now reported that Chelsea could drop their fee significantly lower to get Lukaku out of the door this summer.
The report continues to believe that the fact that they would be saving on the €25 million gross wages of the Belgian is enough to convince Chelsea to drop the loan fee demands to €15 million for the season.
However, Chelsea would also be ‘very interested in a player coming the other way as part of a deal’.
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The player mentioned is defender Stefan de Vrij, who had previously been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
The departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have left Chelsea in need of replacements in defence this summer.
The German defender has officially been announced as a Real Madrid player, leaving on a free contract as Christensen was named on Chelsea’s released list this summer as he looks set for a switch to Barcelona.
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It remains to be seen as to how the deal for Lukaku will be structured, with two loans most likely before a permanent deal is agreed.
One thing is clear, the Belgian is looking increasingly like returning to Inter this summer as Chelsea will part ways with their club-record signing after under a year at the club.
Topics: Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, Football
Nick Emms