Chelsea readying huge £110m bid for Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku #Lukaku
Chelsea are readying a bumper new and improved offer for Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian warming to the idea of a return to Stamford Bridge.
It emerged on Monday night that the Blues had had an £85m-plus-Marcos Alonso bid rejected, but just 24 hours later Chelsea are planning to return with a straight cash offer worth up to £110m – a figure that could well be enough to convince the Nerazzurri to sell.
According to Sky Italia, the fresh €130m (£110m) approach is imminent and Lukaku is coming round to the proposition of becoming a Chelsea player once again having publicly stated he is happy in Milan earlier this summer.
The Blues’ hierarchy would be willing to offer the 28-year-old a long-term deal worth £196,000 per week plus bonuses to make that a reality – a significant increase on the £130,000-a-week wages he is on at Inter.
The belief is that such a monstrous bid would give the Inter hierarchy serious pause for thought, and if it were accepted it would all come down to Lukaku’s desire to make the switch. 90min understands he would be ‘very interested’ in returning to west London having been flattered by his former side’s pursuit and proposal.
Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio adds that Inter are tentatively pondering replacements for their star striker, with the Scudetto winners considering signing both Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata and Joaquin Correa of Lazio to replenish their strike force.
Chelsea could ship Tammy Abraham off to Atalanta – where he would replace Zapata – to facilitate their move for Lukaku.
The west Londoners have turned their attention to bringing Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge with negotiations over a £135m deal for Borussia Dortmund phenomenon Erling Haaland at an impasse.
Inter need to sell to balance the books and reduce their wage budget, and the Blues now see Lukaku as their best chance of landing a superstar forward this summer.
Lukaku netted 24 times in Serie A last season and laid on ten more as the Nerazzurri claimed a first Scudetto for a decade, ending Juventus’ era of domestic dominance.
If the transfer goes through for £110m, Lukaku would become the most expensive signing in Premier League history, obliterating the previous record of £89m spent on Paul Pogba by Manchester United. The Belgium international is already sixth on that list following his £76m move from Everton to the Red Devils in 2017.