Ever since Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter on loan from Chelsea, there has been talk of an agreement between the two sides already being in place for that deal to be extended by a year.
On paper, it made sense, since the Serie A side cannot afford the Belgian outright, while the player has no interest in continuing at Stamford Bridge after a poor first year following his dramatic return to the Blues.
Getting his wages off the bill was a priority for Todd Boehly and co. at Chelsea, and with the agreement in place with Inter, that would mean two years free of the striker, with the chance of him staying there permanently in the long-term.
That being said, no one predicted him being injured for the best part of the season to date, and this has caused some concerns in Milan.
Calciomercato look at the situation, and recall that Beppe Marotta, for example, has made it clear he expects the very well paid Lukaku to perform on the pitch, especially since it has cost them €20m (including wages) to loan him back.
That will have to be repeated next year if they do keep him, which is ‘no joke for a team in difficulty like the Nerazzuri’.
They broke their self-imposed wage cap to bring him back, and with that comes expectations, including him ‘to make a difference again’.
If he doesn’t meet them, ‘everything will be reset’, and when they ‘face new talks with Chelsea’, it could start ‘from the assumption that a confirmation is not obvious’.
Should he continue to disappoint, they might have to have a chat with him to reduce his wages, because at that point ‘nothing would justify an exception for him’.
Has the love story started to show its cracks? Something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months.
