Return to sender: Romelu Lukaku would like to stay, but Inter usually send expensive mercenaries to Chelsea | Series A

Inter is looking forward. Italy’s top club is preparing for a future without the “Big Rom”. This can be read atGazzetta dello Sport, can be heard at his father’s club, Chelsea. Without an unexpected twist, Lukaku will soon return to London – against his will.

Everything has to do with the price and return of an expensive mercenary. Inter will soon have to make significant savings on the payroll. The club’s annual turnover is 325 million euros, but it suffers huge losses. Over the past 10 financial years, Inter has recorded a loss of 784 million. Today annual operating losses are about 150 million.

Owner Suning Inter has given more than half a billion in recent years, but the Chinese government has cut off the credit line. Since then, its owner has relied on expensive loans from an American investment fund.

Lukaku has already cost Inter more than €17m this season – initial rental fee of €7.86m plus 10 months’ salary. Inter did not receive enough in return.

He was out for three months with a hamstring injury. And after the World Cup, the “Big Room” did not achieve the goals that the club expected from it: 5 goals in 19 matches, including four penalties. Only this decisive goal in the eighth final of the Champions League against Porto brought the club a decent amount of money.

After five defeats in their last seven matches, Inter are also in danger of being snatched next to the Champions League in Serie A. New downer.

Unless Lukaku suddenly goes on a great run, Inter will not renew his lease. Lukaku want to stay and willing to give up. Chelsea also urgently need to sell players to balance the books. Big Rom is one of the players they hope to sell elsewhere. What the new coach absolutely did not want.

Chelsea bought Lukaku from Inter in the summer of 2021 for 113 million euros. The conversion turned out to be a failure. Eleven months later, Lukaku has paid through the rent to the old nest Inter. Inter lives off selling players. There have never been resources to buy Lukaku definitively – also because at the age of 30 he wouldn’t represent much resale value.

Inter signed a verbal agreement with Chelsea last summer to rent Lukaku for another year. But Chairman Zhang believes that the price they are paying now is too high. Now it is heard inside the club that not even a negotiation will take place.

In recent months, the sporting leadership of Inter has drawn lines for a possible replacement for the “Big Rom”. Marcus Thuram (Gladbach) and Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) are free to pick up. Italy international Matteo Rettigi (Boca Juniors) is one option. And according to Gazzetta, Red Devil Loïs Openda (Lens) has also been carefully spotted several times.