Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku transfer plan

Stuart Telford

• 17 Jun 2023 20:26 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea could bolster their squad significantly this summer if Inter Milan agree to player exchanges as they seek to make Romelu Lukaku's loan deal at the San Siro permanent.

Lukaku re-joined Inter on loan at the start of last season after struggling to live up to expectations after a €115 million transfer in the opposite direction in the summer of 2021.

After struggling with his weight and general match fitness, Lukaku hit a hot streak towards the end of last season, with nine of his 10 Serie A goals coming from February on, as did two of his three Champions League strikes on their run to the final.

READ: Romelu Lukaku receives ASTRONOMICAL transfer offer

Chelsea want to recoup as much as possible for a player now valued at €44.4m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, but Inter's purse strings are tight and a swap deal could suit all parties.

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"Chelsea have requested a swap deal with Inter Milan that would see Nicolo Barella switch with Romelu Lukaku in the summer transfer window," report Football London. "The Blues held a meeting with the Nerazzurri in the past week which discussed a range of players.

"Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Andre Onana and Lukaku were on the agenda as the two teams look to get their own business done."

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While Koulibaly and Chalobah have caught Inter's eye - the former mostly due to the Napoli form he showed before his €38m move to Stamford Bridge last summer - Barella and Onana could prove inspired moves for Chelsea to strengthen their squad.

The Blues need to balance the books having spent more than €600m in the transfer market since Todd Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich in ownership in West London last May, with the spectre of UEFA Financial Fair Play hanging over them.

Barella and Onana are valued at €58.7m and €17.6m respectively by FootballTransfers - making for a combined €76.3m that Chelsea could scarcely afford. Knock nearly €50m off that figure with Lukaku and the clubs could strike a deal that leaves everyone happy.