Inter Milan are 'set to make a fresh bid for Romelu Lukaku this week'
Inter Milan are ‘set to make a fresh bid for Romelu Lukaku this week and are optimistic of agreeing a deal’, with the Chelsea forward ‘prioritising a return to the Italian giants’
- Romelu Lukaku spent last season on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea
- Inter want Lukaku to return again next season and are set to launch a new bid
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Inter Milan are preparing to launch a new bid to bring Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku back to Italy, according to reports.
Lukaku spent last season on loan at Inter after rejoining the club following his disastrous 2021-22 campaign at Chelsea.
The Nerazzurri are keen to keep him at the San Siro, but have already had one offer turned down by Chelsea. They are not giving up hope of landing the forward, though, and are set for talks over a fresh bid this week, as reported by The Telegraph.
They are expected to try and take Lukaku back on another season-long loan, but with the option to buy him at the end of it for €30m (£26m).
Chelsea are likely to insist that Inter are obligated to buy Lukaku next summer, which could be a potential sticking point, but Inter are believed to be optimistic that a deal can be struck.
Inter Milan want to bring striker Romelu Lukaku back to the San Siro next season
Simone Inzaghi and Lukaku could be reunited once more, with Inter set to launch a new bid
Lukaku has multiple options on the table, with Inter’s fierce rivals AC Milan reportedly showing interest in the 30-year-old, while Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have also made a lucrative offer to take him to the Middle East.
A switch to Saudi Arabia would be Chelsea’s preference, with the west London club having already offloaded N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly to the big-spending nation, and more stars are expected to follow.
However, Lukaku has made it clear he has no intention of moving to Saudi Arabia right now, and has previously claimed he would never join Milan, leaving Inter as his first-choice option.
New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is set to start work at the beginning of next week, and sorting out Lukaku’s future is likely to be high on his priority list.
The Blues fly out for a pre-season tour in the US on July 17, and Pochettino will want to know whether he’ll have Lukaku at his disposal for the season ahead by then.
The Belgian striker had a mixed 2022-23 season that saw him struggle in the first part of his loan spell due to a series of injury setbacks.
Heading into the final months of the campaign it looked unlikely that Inter would be interested in keeping him beyond the summer, but he finished strongly by netting seven league goals in as many games to help the side finish third in Serie A and force the club to reconsider.
After being introduced as a second-half substitute in the Champions League final, Lukaku endured a nightmare cameo appearance that saw him block a goal-bound effort from team-mate Federico DiMarco, and then miss a golden opportunity to equalise with a close-range header as Inter fell to a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City.
Despite that showing, Inter still want Lukaku, and are set to make their latest play for him in the coming days.
Mauricio Pochettino will want Lukaku’s future decided soon as he begins work at Chelsea
Lukaku had a nightmare performance in the Champions League final, but Inter still want to sign him
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