Chelsea transfer news: Romelu Lukaku tees up Inter meeting as future takes fresh twist

The future of Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea has been questioned yet again amid the striker’s reported request for a meeting over a move to Inter Milan.

Since returning to Chelsea, Lukaku has far from lived up to his pre-season expectations. The striker was bought from Inter after he had the most prolific season of his career, contributing to 34 goals across all competitions.

During the 2021/22 campaign, however, it has been far from plain sailing for the Belgium international.

Whether it be falling out favour with manager Thomas Tuchel or admitting his desire to return to Inter in December, the attacker’s return to Chelsea has been far from perfect.

Despite this, the striker has played in a lot of games, appearing 44 times over the course of the season. During that time, he has managed to hit the back of the net 15 times.

Nevertheless, fresh reports from Italian journalist Fabrizio Biasin have suggested that the striker has requested a meeting with his representatives and Inter.

The report states that the conversation is expected to be scheduled next week. The main objective of the meeting would be to arrange a deal for Inter to re-sign Lukaku.

The report also claims that this is said to be very ‘complicated’. The possibility of a fee even being agreed upon is highly unlikely, especially since Inter are attempting to sign Paulo Dybala on a free transfer.

Lukaku’s transfer to Chelsea set the Blues back a club-record £97.5million.

One year on and this fee seems extortionate with the report claiming that Inter would pay no where near that price for his return.

Should Chelsea sell Romelu Lukaku?

Despite the Belgium international not being at his best, he played a key part in Tuchel’s team in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. His presence was especially noticeable within his first few games for the Blues.

Chelsea haven’t had the best of luck when signing strikers in recent transfer windows. For example, Timo Werner joined the club in the summer of 2020 for a reported fee of £45million.

This was a release clause which the Blues met and at the time, it seemed like a steal. He was swooped from Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s grasp, along with a plethora of other teams who were vying for his transfer.

Since joining, however, Werner has only scored 23 goals in 89 appearances for the team. These numbers may seem respectable but, for a first-choice striker, his statistics aren’t the best.

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Within their ranks, Chelsea have yet another another attacker in Kai Havertz. The German international has had a stellar campaign this year, being one of the standout players in Tuchel’s team.

As Chelsea have many options to fill in the number nine role within their squad, they could easily part ways with Lukaku this summer.

He hasn’t enjoyed his time at the club and his relationship with Tuchel has likely become strained. Although they would take a loss if they sold him, the Chelsea camp may be much more positive in general.