Following preliminary talks with Juventus over a potential transfer, Inter unexpectedly pulled out of the race to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea this summer. Sky Italia reported that after weeks of negotiations, Inter and Chelsea agreed a transfer deal of around €35 million for the Belgian striker. However, following an agreement between the two clubs, the player's agent, Sebastian Ledur, has held preliminary talks in the past few weeks with a number of clubs, including AC Milan and Juventus, but has not finalized the agreement between the Italian club and Romelu Lukaku.
This behaviour by agents and Romelu Lukaku has not been endorsed by Inter's directors, who hope they will take a different approach after the player himself has publicly expressed his desire to return. In fact, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter sporting director Piero Osilio called Romelu Lukaku to tell him that the Nerazzurri would withdraw from the race to sign him permanently this summer. The Italian club will now reportedly be looking for another player to replace him and is already looking for a new striker, with US men's national team talent Florin Balogon also on the list under consideration.
Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan from Manchester United in the summer of 2019 for around €80 million as he was seen by former Inter manager Antonio Conte as the perfect striker for the team. Chelsea signed the Belgian striker for a record €115 million after winning the 2020-21 Serie A title, but a few months later Lukaku himself announced to Sky Italia that he hoped to return to Inter Milan in the near future. In the summer of 2022, just one year after his departure, Romelu Lukaku returned to Italian football on loan for one season, plagued by injuries, scoring 14 goals in 37 games in all competitions. After returning to Chelsea, Inter began talks with the English side over a permanent transfer, while Romelu Lukaku has refused to reach an agreement with the Saudi club in the past few weeks because he wants to rejoin Inter.
After agreeing on a permanent transfer with Inter, Chelsea were also shocked by the surprising news. Romelu Lukaku will attend pre-season camp on Monday, but it is unclear what will happen in the coming days. Juventus offered the same funding to Chelsea, but only if Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic leaves the Bianconeri this summer, according to Sky Italia. Juventus also competed with Manchester United for Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2019, but Inter were able to win the match to sign Romelu Lukaku only because Paulo Dybala refused to reach an agreement with England as he may have been involved in a swap deal with Romelu Lukaku. The story may not be over.
Article source: 68 Sports