Lukaku not part of Chelsea future despite striker woes

Jacque Talbot

• 3 Mar 2023 20:05 GMT
• 3 min read

Romelu Lukaku will not have a place at Chelsea for next season despite the club being in dire need of attacking reinforcements.

The Belgian striker, who is currently on loan at Inter Milan until the end of this campaign, will not be used by the Premier League side for next season when he is set for a return, reports Gazzetta dello Sport.

It means that the 29-year-old will either to shipped back to Inter for another loan or the club will have to find somewhere else for him.

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Inter chief Beppe Marotta has stated that Lukaku has hopes to remain with the San Siro outfit, but the deal which saw him move back there 11 months after moving to Chelsea has no option to buy clause attached.

Injuries have plagued that attacker and he has made just 15 appearances this campaign, striking four goals along the way.

Is it thought that Graham Potter is not looking to have the forward back at the club and that he is essentially surplus to requirements.

Potter took to the dugout months after Lukaku was loaned to Inter in June and despite Chelsea’s poor form in front of goal this term, they will not look to him to help fill the void in the following campaign, with their focus being on bringing in fresh talent over the summer window.

Chelsea's torrid attacking output

Chelsea have failed to score more than one goal in every encounter since they beat Bournemouth on December 27, which was a 2-0 win, while they have managed just one victory in 2023 so far, with Potter firmly in the firing line.

The Blues broke their transfer record at the time by paying Inter 97.5m in 2021 for Lukaku, after his spellbinding form in the Serie A with Inter.

But his return to Stamford Bridge was short-lived as poor form and a controversial interview with Sky Italia in which he appeared to criticise the current setup at Chelsea and compare it in contract to Inter saw the Belgian loaned out the following summer.