Romelu Lukaku clause in imminent loan deal speaks volumes about Chelsea feelings

Inter Milan have reached an agreement with Chelsea to re-sign Romelu Lukaku on loan... but there's no obligation for the Italian side to sign him permanently.

The Belgium international, 29, has struggled for form since re-joining the Blues from Inter for £97.5million last August. He's scored just eight Premier League goals and often struggled to get ahead of the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner in the pecking order.

Lukaku's Chelsea future has looked in doubt ever since he claimed he was "not happy" with manager Thomas Tuchel's tactics in a surprising interview with the Italian press in December. He also proclaimed his love for Inter during the controversial chat.

Reports earlier this week suggested the Premier League outfit were willing to let Lukaku re-join Inter on a season-long loan this summer. The two clubs have been discussing a loan fee since and they've settled on just £7million.

Perhaps most telling is the proposed deal does not contain a clause for Inter to sign Lukaku permanently when the loan expires in June 2023 - such is Chelsea's desire to get him off their wage bill. He reportedly earns £325,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku's value could diminish significantly if the temporary gig does not go to plan. By next summer, he will be 30 with three years remaining on his existing deal. The proposed move is subject to a medical and not expected to be announced imminently.

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New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is said to happy to let Lukaku re-join Inter on loan. It's claimed he believes the deal is the best course of action and will use the budget generated to improve Tuchel's squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Tuchel is after at least one new centre-back after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen joined Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. The Blues finished third in the Premier League last term, 19 points behind champions Manchester City.

Lukaku enjoyed two prolific seasons at Inter under former manager Antonio Conte. He scored 64 goals in 95 appearances, helping them win Serie A in 2020-21. They also reached the final of the Europa League in 2019-20, losing 3-2 to Spanish side Sevilla.

Speaking in December, Lukaku said: "I'm not happy with the situation, this is normal. I think the coach has chosen to play with another system, I just have to not give up and continue to work and be a professional... I am a worker and I must not give up."

On Inter, Lukaku added: "How I left Inter, how I communicated with the fans, this bothers me because it is not the right time now, but even when I left it was not the right time.

"Now I think it is right to speak because I have always said that I have Inter in my heart, I will return to play there, I really hope so. I am in love with Italy, this is rightly the time to talk and let people know what really happened without talking badly about people because I am not like that."

Lukaku will not be remembered fondly by Chelsea supporters if he leaves the club again. He failed to score during his first spell at the club between 2011 and 2014, playing just 15 games and spending time on loan at Premier League rivals West Brom and Everton.