Lukaku returning to Chelsea ‘against his will’ as Inter Milan eye Liverpool man as replacement

Serie A side Inter Milan have reportedly decided that they will not look to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently so he will return to Chelsea ‘against his will’.

Lukaku is among their big-money additions who have flopped at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues spent around £97m to re-sign Lukaku before the 2021/22 campaign but he was slammed that season as he only managed to score eight goals in the Premier League.

The 29-year-old was sent back to Inter Milan on loan last summer and this season has not gone to plan either. He has been restricted to just 12 starts in Serie A as a result of a hamstring injury. In his 18 league outings overall, he has grabbed just three goals and two assists.

have spent around £500m on signings this season but they have failed to recruit a marquee striker capable of ending their woes in front of goal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has struggled and Kai Havertz has often been used as a makeshift striker. Chelsea are among the lowest scorers in the league this season as they have netted just 30 goals in 31 games.

The London outfit are currently without a permanent manager and the new boss could look to reintegrate Lukaku in the summer.

Gazzetta dello Sport claim Lukaku will ‘return to Chelsea against his will’ this summer. The forward has cost ‘Inter more than 17 million euros this season’ and the Italian giants have ‘not received enough in return for that’.

Lukaku ‘would like to stay and he is unwilling to give up’ but it is suggested that a ‘fantastic run’ is needed until the summer to tempt Inter Milan into ‘renewing the lease’.

The report claims Chelsea ‘urgently need to sell players to balance the books’. They ‘hope to sell’ Lukaku unless ‘the new manager absolutely wants him there’.

Inter Milan are already looking at potential replacements for Lukaku. The report highlights Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram as potential low-cost options as both players are due to be out of contract in the summer.

Chelsea have lost three games in a row since Frank Lampard returned to the club as manager on an interim basis.

“We need to be more difficult to play against (at home),” Lampard said.

“That step will bring ‘now we start to feel more confident’. You talk about confidence at the minute, I don’t think confidence is the thing. I think it’s the work to build confidence. Because there is talent in that squad.”