Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku may have lost his potential summer escape route from Stamford Bridge in the upcoming transfer window as Serie A giants AC Milan are said to have rejected the chance to move for the Belgian international.
As reported by Football.London, recent links suggesting that Milan could make a move for Lukaku – who has had a miserable spell at Chelsea after his summer return to the Blues – will not materialize with the Lombardy-based outfit set to push ahead with a deal for fellow Belgian striker Divock Origi.
Romelu Lukaku transfer decision reached as Chelsea lose out amid Liverpool ‘agreement’ ?#CFC https://t.co/anYt3KI1uL
— Chelsea FC News (@Chelsea_FL) April 23, 2022
Origi is out of contract in the summer at Anfield, and despite reaching cult hero status given his key contributions in Liverpool’s run to Champions League glory in 2019, the center-forward looks set to move to Milan on a free transfer according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.
It has hardly been the desired return for Lukaku after he shone at Inter Milan for two seasons, scoring 64-goals in 95-appearances across all competitions and helping the club to win Serie A last season.
Things have gone poorly at Stamford Bridge despite a second debut goal early this season against rivals Arsenal, with Lukaku managing just 5-goals in the Premier League in 21-appearances, and having largely been displaced by Kai Havertz.
The reported massive takeover bid by Bahraini company Investcorp, worth a potential £850m, would have allowed Milan to afford both the fee and wages of Lukaku while also prioritizing other signings linked such as LOSC Lille center-back Sven Botman.
But the Rossoneri now seem unwilling to part ways with that kind of capital despite a rumored £300-million transfer budget this summer, and a free move for Origi would allow them to mobilize all available funds across other areas of the pitch more effectively.
This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
