Romelu Lukaku escape to Italy a no-go as a more likely transfer option emerges

Romelu Lukaku will not be making a return to Italy in the summer, according to TEAMtalk sources.

The Chelsea striker, 28, has been linked with a move back to the Serie A. And in particular, AC Milan and Inter, but we’re told that, if any sale goes through, Bayern Munich is a more likely destination than Italy.

Inter are looking to get their books in order ahead of a window in which they need to make a sizeable profit. While AC Milan, in their current state, would not be a viable solution.

However, the club are fully aware of Lukaku’s capabilities in Serie A. And should their widely-reported takeover by Bahrain-based Investcorp go through, matters could change.

The Blues are paying Lukaku £300,000-per-week. And, following his torrid season at Stamford Bridge, there have been reports suggesting the club are thinking about starting to cut their losses and sell the player on for around £60m in the summer.

The trouble the Blues face is that it will be hard for other elite clubs to be able to take on the transfer fee as well as the full sum of wages.

A loan deal could be the most feasible option for the situation the club finds itself in. And Chelsea may well have to agree to continue to pay a  percentage of his wages to get Lukaku away.

Barcelona looking at Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku

Barcelona interested in singing Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea this summer but so are PSG and Inter Milan

We also understand that Lukaku, who’s under contract at Chelsea until 2026, remains with his current representatives. Reports have claimed that he has grown dissatisfied with his current entourage.

The attacker has scored 12 goals in 40 matches across all competitions, following his £97.5m move from Inter last summer.

Tuchel: This is ‘ongoing’ for Lukaku

But his comments via Sky Italy at the end of December, when he said he was “not happy with the situation” firmly upset the apple cart at Stamford Bridge.

Speaking about his record signing last month, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said: “Has it worked out in a way everybody wanted so far? No, of course not. It is not on Romelu after two defeats, he didn’t even start these two last matches.

“We play the cup competitions until the end, we play [FA Cup] semi-final, we play the Carabao Cup final, and the Club World Cup final and we are in the race for top three in the hardest league. We have had one tough result against Real Madrid but we cannot put this on one player,” said Tuchel.

“And we are still working to make it better. We had a reason to spend this amount of money. And he had reasons to come here and complete his Chelsea chapter. This is ongoing.

“Anything can change in the blink of an eye in football. And there was already a chance to have a huge uplift here. As a striker, the story can be written quickly and differently.”

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