An insight into the terms by which Chelsea could open the door for Romelu Lukaku’s summer exit has been provided on Monday evening.
The name of Belgian international Lukaku, of course, took its place centre stage in the headlines at Stamford Bridge across the 2021/22 campaign.
Unfortunately for the 29-year-old himself, however, this came for all the wrong reasons.
After sealing a club-record return to Chelsea on the back of a scintillating campaign in Italy with Inter Milan, Lukaku was tasked with arresting the Blues’ long-time woes up top, to lead the club’s intended charge back towards the very top of the English game.
But such efforts on the part of ‘Big Rom’, ultimately, came up short in spectacular fashion.
All told, Lukaku racked up just eight goals, across appearances in 26 of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League fixtures. Not only that, but, at one point in the campaign, the Belgian drew the ire of the Pensioners faithful owing to some altogether questionable comments regarding Inter Milan, culminating in his temporary exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s matchday setup.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 07: Romelu Lukaku celebrates with teammates after scoring during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on May 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Suffice to say, Lukaku’s dream Chelsea return has not gone exactly according to plan thus far…
And, if the latest word stemming from the media on Monday evening is anything to go by, then Chelsea, based on the evidence of just one season, could well be ready to admit their mistakes and move on from the club’s most expensive ever player.
This comes amid the suggestion that the Blues are ‘open’ to the prospect of loaning Lukaku back to Inter Milan for next season.
As per journalist Ben Jacobs, those in a position of power at Stamford Bridge would be willing to enter into discussions with Inter regarding a deal in which the two clubs share the striker’s wages for the 2022/23 campaign.
Such an option, though, would only come into play in the case that Lukaku agreed to a significant reduction on his current pay packet.
Not only that, but Chelsea would too demand a ‘big’ loan fee from Inter, meaning that, based on the latest terms discussed by the two clubs, a transfer of any sort remains some way off.
Chelsea are open to a salary-sharing loan deal with Inter for Lukaku. It’s clear he wants the move. However, lots of work to be done still. Chelsea want a big loan fee and Lukaku to take a significant wage cut. They won’t proceed on current terms.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) June 6, 2022
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