Today could be the ‘decisive day’ in the Romelu Lukaku saga, as the Belgian pushes for an exit from Chelsea back to Italy.
That’s what Corriere dello Sport state, claiming that ‘if all the puzzle pieces fall into place’, then Friday is when the player ‘will return to Inter’.
The newspaper reveal that ‘a new video conference contact’ between the two clubs ‘is scheduled for the day’, with the big bosses, Steven Zhang and Todd Boehly, expected to attend.
Inter ‘are hoping to close the case immediately to prevent the deal from running into a hitch’, but as things stand, ‘the parties have not been able to define in detail the contract of the centre-forward, because the final figure will depend on how expensive the loan with Chelsea will be’.
The Italians are ready to offer €5m, while the Blues have dropped their demands from €20m to €10-12m, which is the point at which talks on Friday will start.
On the other side, Chelsea are keen on all three of Inter’s centre-backs (Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Stefan De Vrij) as well as Denzel Dumfries, with the Slovakian and the wing-back the favourites.
The problem is, Inzaghi doesn’t want to lose the Dutchman, while the Serie A club want €80m for their big centre-back.
Over at Gazzetta dello Sport, there is similar information floating around, with the meeting between the two clubs also discussed and expected to take place today.
‘There is optimism’ that something can get done, and Chelsea ‘will have to respond to Inter’s offer by formulating the clear and round figure needed to loan Lukaku for a year’.
Inter are prepared to double their initial offer of €5m to €10m, seen as a ‘sign of good will’ in the eyes of Boehly.
The new Chelsea owner, initially reluctant to let a star player go, seemingly ‘understood the inevitability of the transfer once he spoke directly with the Belgian’.
Gazzetta also mention an interest from the Blues in Skriniar, Dumfries and De Vrij, but point out there is competition for the former from Paris Saint-Germain.
This is where we stand before the meeting, but we’re sure more will come out later on today once it’s taken place, because it always does in the Italian media.
