‘It’s part of the deal’ – Lukaku’s future confirmed by Inter chief

Robin Bairner

• 15 Mar 2023 08:56 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku’s future has been confirmed by Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta.

The Belgium international hitman finds himself back on loan at San Siro, having made a €115 million move to the Blues in the summer of 2021. Lukaku – for the second time in his career – failed to come up to standard at Chelsea, despite the fanfare surrounding his return.

He was shipped out of the club in the summer to move to Inter, but the same injury problems that plagued him in England have followed him back to Italy. He has struggled for fitness and, therefore, game time.

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In the Champions League last-16 ties against Porto, the 29-year-old was twice a substitute, and though he scored the only goal over 180 minutes between the teams, Inter’s Marrotta suggests there is no plan to keep the forward on a long-term basis.

Previously, there had been reports that Lukaku was back in Italy on a two-year loan, but that appears not to be the case.

“Lukaku deal? He will return to Chelsea as it’s a straight loan, it’s part of the deal — then we will see,” he said.

“Lukaku is not in good condition yet, we are still waiting to see the real Romelu as we saw in the past.”

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Lukaku’s disappointing Inter return

Indeed, Lukaku has managed only 830 minutes of competitive football this season and has scored five goals in return.

It is his inability to stay fit for long periods that is Inter’s main problem. With financial headaches to battle, the Nerazzurri have to consider whether a relatively slim return in goals is worth the wages and loan fee they are paying for the Chelsea man.

When he returned, it was hoped he would recapture his form from the 2020/21 campaign, in which he scored 30 times and created 10 more for Inter as they won Serie A.

Although Inter are second in Italy’s top flight, a congested top four means they are not guaranteed to return to the Champions League next season – and missing out on Champions League football would effectively end their hopes of signing Lukaku on a more permanent basis even if they wanted to.