Romelu Lukaku makes Chelsea and Inter Milan wait as transfer frustrations mount

Romelu Lukaku of FC celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Coppa Italia Semi Final match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on April 04, 2023 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Inter Milan are on the verge of giving up on a permanent deal for Romelu Lukaku having grown frustrated with the attitude of the Chelsea striker.

It's become clear there is no future for the Belgian striker back at Stamford Bridge, with new boss Mauricio Pochettino setting about an overhaul of the first team squad. And the 30-year-old is part of the cull, following the likes of N'Golo Kante, Kai Havertz, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy out of the door.

A full-time return to Inter initially appeared the most likely option. Lukaku was pivotal in his first stint at the San Siro, helping the club to the 2020/21 Serie A title, and returned on loan last season to contribute to Coppa Italia success and a run to the Champions League final, where they were beaten by Man City.

But according to the Evening Standard , the Italian giants are on the brink of walking away from negotiations. A bid of £30 million, plus a further £4m in add-ons, has been submitted but neither the forward, or representative Sebastian Ledure, have returned phone calls.

Club bosses now suspect Lukaku favours a deal with Juventus, whose bid is reportedly closer to Chelsea's £40 million valuation. However, the offer is conditional, and dependent on them being able to offload Dusan Vlahovic by August 4.

Juventus chiefs are also seething after the London club informed Inter of their interest, in an apparent attempt to drive up the price. It leaves the saga seemingly in a stalemate, with Lukaku facing the prospect of being an unused squad member at Chelsea in 2022/23 if a deal cannot be reached.

The forward currently stands as the most expensive footballer in history, having racked up more than £286 million in transfer fees. That included his £97.5 million move to Chelsea back in August 2021, but he would only proceed to score eight Premier League goals under Thomas Tuchel the following season.

He remains Belgium's record goalscorer, having struck 75 times in his 108 caps. However, he struggled at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, missing a series of chances in their final group game in Croatia as they exited the tournament early.