Romelu Lukaku wants to quit Chelsea and return to Inter Milan and is prepared to take a massive pay cut in order to end his Stamford Bridge nightmare, according to reports in Italy.
The Belgian has endured a difficult second spell back in west London following his £97.5million move last summer, only netting five times in 17 Premier League appearances so far.
At the start of the year, Lukaku was reprimanded and forced to apologise after giving an interview to Sky Sport Italia in which he said he was not happy with his situation at Chelsea and suggested he has issues with Thomas Tuchel’s style of play.
His fortunes have not improved since then and he is yet to net a league goal in 2022, while he was dropped for Tuesday’s Champions League win over Lille after having just seven touches across 90 minutes against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku is fed up with life back at Chelsea and is desperate to return to Inter in the summer, while he is even in contact with some of the club’s directors.
However, any deal would be extremely complicated and Inter cannot afford a transfer fee, with the Italian side only able to bring Lukaku back to San Siro if Chelsea agree to loan out a player who broke their transfer record just a few months ago.
From Inter’s side, there are some concerns about re-signing a player who jumped ship during the height of their financial difficulties, with a number of supporters turning on the forward.
Lukaku’s camp are believed to have denied the reports and are frustrated with the timing of the article given that the Belgian is trying to force his way back into the starting XI for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final clash with Liverpool.
But Gazzetta claim Lukaku has a massive desire to return to Inter and is prepared to not only take a pay cut relative to his current salary at Chelsea, but he is willing to accept a contract below what he previously earned at Inter.
That is appealing to Inter’s hierarchy, though they are currently favouring a move for young Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca.
The team’s playing style has also evolved under new boss Simone Inzaghi and is less reliant on the physicality and power Lukaku provided up top.
Gazzetta also claim Lukaku would be open to a reunion with Antonio Conte at Tottenham, though a deal between Spurs and Chelsea would be virtually impossible and the north Londoners would not be prepared to spend big on a player who turns 29 in May.
MORE : Fabio Capello explains why Romelu Lukaku is struggling at Chelsea
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