Giuseppe Marotta, the CEO of Inter Milan, has disclosed that Romelu Lukaku will not be signed on a permanent basis this summer, as the striker is set to return to Chelsea.
Lukaku first played for the Serie A club from 2019 to 2021, where he scored 64 goals in two successful campaigns before Chelsea re-signed him in a £97.5m deal. However, the 29-year-old only managed 15 goals for Chelsea in the 2021-22 season and was loaned back to Inter last summer.
A recent report stated that Inter would face difficulty in re-signing him due to the cost of the deal. Furthermore, his poor output has drastically reduced his chances of sealing a permanent deal with Inter.
Giuseppe Marotta has now confirmed that Lukaku will return to Stamford Bridge instead of joining Inter on a long-term basis.
“The loan was for one season so on June 30 regardless of how well he plays, he’ll go back to Chelsea,” Marotta told Sky Italia. “This has been an unprecedented season.
“I’m referring of course to the World Cup. The problems we’ve experienced have been experienced by other clubs too and the players who played at the World Cup.
“Lukaku is a case in point. [Marcelo] Brozovic isn’t the Brozovic we know. Lukaku hasn’t found the fitness he needs to play his best football. He’s still not at his best or the player we got to see in years gone by.”
Inter advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a goalless draw with Porto in the second leg of their last-16 match on Tuesday. Lukaku’s goal was the deciding factor between the two teams over the two legs, but he was only used as a second-half substitute against the Portuguese team.
However, a recent report indicated that Lukaku is not in Chelsea manager Graham Potter’s plans for the 2023-24 season, and the club is looking to bring in another centre-forward.
Despite this, the Belgian still has over three years remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge, and it is believed that Real Madrid are interested in acquiring his services. Overall, Lukaku has scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 59 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.
