Inter Milan president Steven Zhang ‘holding up loan deal for Romelu Lukaku because he is not willing to meet Chelsea’s demands’… with the Blues ‘asking the Italian club to pay £8.6m upfront and cover all of the striker’s £325,000-a-week wages’
- Chelsea hope to finalise a deal to send Romelu Lukaku on loan to Inter Milan
- But Inter president Steven Zhang is reportedly not convinced on the proposals
- The Blues want £8.6millon upfront and expect Inter to cover all Lukaku’s wages
- The striker’s Chelsea return has been a disaster and an exit seems inevitable
Inter Milan’s loan deal for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is reportedly being held up by the Italian club’s president Steven Zhang.
The Belgian only left the San Siro last summer as the Blues paid £97.5million for him, but a return is on the cards after a disastrous season in west London.
New Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is convinced Lukaku’s departure is best for all parties as the 29-year-old has made it clear how determined he is to leave.
Inter Milan president Steven Zhang is reportedly holding up the loan deal for Romelu Lukaku
A Chelsea exit seems inevitable after the Belgian’s disastrous season at Stamford Bridge
According to The Athletic, the Blues are hoping to finalise the loan but the deal rests on Zhang coming round to the terms proposed.
Chelsea want an £8.6millon loan fee upfront and expect Inter to cover all of Lukaku’s wages – which officials at the Serie A club are said to be happy with, but the president is not yet convinced. Talks are reportedly continuing in an attempt to find a resolution.
Various sources indicate that the striker is currently on a £325,000-a-week salary at Stamford Bridge.
Sportsmail reported yesterday that Chelsea have discussed potential discounts on Inter players as part of negotiations, with Milan Skriniar and Denzel Dumfries among the names floated, but it is expected to be a straight loan deal as it stands.
Zhang is said to be unconvinced by the terms of the deal that the Blues are proposing
Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 appearances in his first spell at Inter and won Serie A in 2020-21
Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 appearances in his first spell at Inter and helped the club win their first league title for 11 years in 2020-21.
However he has flopped since making the move to Chelsea and found the net only eight times in the Premier League last season.
In December, he was fined and forced to apologise after telling Sky Italia he was ‘not happy’ at Stamford Bridge and wanted to return to Inter ‘in the near future’.
Meanwhile, according to Corriere dello Sport, Lukaku rang Inter boss Simone Inzaghi in April – the night before Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid – to ask what he needed to do to secure a move back to the Nerazzurri.
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