Lukaku BEGS club to take him back as Arsenal WIN from transfer mess

Robin Bairner

• 20 Jul 2023 13:10 BST
• 3 min read

Romelu Lukaku’s summer has gone from bad to worse with the revelation that Juventus cannot afford him – forcing the Chelsea striker to look elsewhere for a transfer.

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the prospect of a deal with Juve, who had been the favourites to land the 30-year-old Belgium international forward, have gone because the Serie A club are not in a position to sign him.

MORE: Lukaku told he’s ‘NOT A REAL MAN’ as Pochettino makes ‘OBVIOUS’ transfer comment

Consequently, Lukaku, who is under contract at Chelsea until 2026, has resorted to pleading with Inter Milan to take him back after two previous spells with the club.

Unfortunately for Lukaku, Inter are furious with him, having previously pulled out of discussions with him when they learned that he was speaking to Juventus behind their backs.

MORE: Lukaku refuses to turn up to Chelsea training

More Lukaku frustration for Chelsea

This is a frustrating state of affairs for Chelsea, too, with the Blues’ prospects of offloading a big-earning player diminishing with each passing day. Indeed, there is no concrete interest presently in Lukaku, save for an offer from the Saudi Pro League, which he is not keen to take up.

Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal stand to benefit from the situation, with Inter having turned their attentions away from Lukaku and instead towards Folarin Balogun.

Coming off the back of an impressive season in Ligue 1 with Reims, manager Mikel Arteta initially seemed in favour of retaining the US striker, but as pre-season has worn on, the young forward has increasingly appeared to be dispensable.

With Arsenal unable to make any more signings until they sell, a deal to send Balogun to Inter could get the green light.

This would give the Gunners a clear advantage over Chelsea heading into the start of the Premier League season in a little under a month, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side looking increasingly likely to be lumbered with Lukaku unless they can be bailed out by the Saudi Pro League.