Romelu Lukaku ‘wants to leave Chelsea’ this summer after realising it was a mistake for him to return this season.
That’s according to Calciomercato, who cover the striker’s future today after he was left on the bench for the Champions League clash with Lille.
They explain that Lukaku is ‘increasingly a foreign body’ in the Chelsea project with his much-maligned performance against Crystal Palace, a further example he has not been able to fit into Thomas Tuchel’s system.
The German boss has continued to defend the striker in public but excludes him from the first team, an indication he doesn’t believe in the player.
Lukaku is aware of that and is ‘not happy’ about the situation. In fact, he wants out and would like to return to Inter Milan.
That is his ‘wish’, and he wanted to make it happen in the January transfer window, which is why he gave that infamous interview to Sky and professed his love for the Nerazzurri.
The dream ‘clashes with reality’, though, as Inter have no way of financing a return. Lukaku cost Chelsea €115m and earns €12m in wages: ‘huge figures’ that are ‘out of reach’ for the Italian champions.
Something could change in the summer, but the costs would have to be cut, and Chelsea would have to help in some way too. At the moment, they don’t ‘seem willing to make gifts’.
Gazzetta dello Sport do, however, say the striker is willing to play his part and is ‘willing’ to reduce his wages to help any interested parties.
Lukaku, then, ‘remains in a cage’ until that point, with him needing to find some sort of agreement with the Blues if he is to secure an exit.
