Chelsea: Sky Sports reporter shares 'latest information' on Romelu Lukaku future | OneFootball

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is seemingly heading out the exit door this summer but Inter Milan’s offer of €35m will not be enough, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has told GIVEMESPORT.

Juventus and Al-Hilal are also interested, too, but neither club have made an official bid to ensnare the forward’s services.

Chelsea transfer news - Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku has been back and forth between Chelsea and Inter Milan for the last four years, and upon his return to Stamford Bridge this summer, it looks as if he is surplus to requirements.

The London-based outfit have valued their centre-forward option at £40m and are standing firm in their stance amid heavy interest from Inter in particular.

90min reported that an initial proposal, worth £30m, was rejected with the Blues keen to coup a further £10m for his services.

The Italians are not exactly blessed financially but may use the incoming funds from the Andre Onana loss to add a layer of flexibility to their Lukaku negotiations.

What did Dharmesh Sheth say about Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku?

On the 30-year-old Belgian, Sheth said that he believes Inter’s offers will continue to fall below Chelsea’s valuation. However, Lukaku’s desires of a Milan return may hinder Chelsea’s ability to recoup as much as they would ideally like.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on Monday, he said: “Now, the latest information we’ve got at Sky Sports News is that they think that Inter Milan are trying to put a deal together that’s worth around €35m. I don’t think that’s going to be enough for Chelsea to sell Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan and in the background, you’ve got interest from Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and also Juventus have held initial talks with Romelu Lukaku.

“That could just be a moot point because of the desire of the player to go to one particular club that might work against Chelsea, because if he only wants to go to Inter Milan and nowhere else, sometimes that can bring the valuation of a player down.”

How did Romelu Lukaku perform for Inter Milan last season?

Per WhoScored ratings, Lukaku finished third-highest in Inter Milan’s average match ratings across the season with only Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu bettering his 6.96 rating.

The seasoned Belgian international played 37 times across Inter’s campaign last season and scored 14 goals and notched a further seven assists in that sequence.

Inter Milan, in a general sense, had a good season. They secured a third-placed finish and fell just short in the Champions League final and Lukaku’s partnership with Martinez was their saving grace at times.

While his numbers don’t set the world alight, Inter’s keenness to sign him on a permanent basis shows that he must’ve impressed somewhat.

What’s next for Romelu Lukaku?

Regular game time is what the Belgian international really needs next season, and it looks highly unlikely that Mauricio Pochettino will offer him that in west London.

Once hailed as ‘world-class’ by German tactician Thomas Tuchel, Lukaku is still able to provide a potential suitor with a reasonable goal return, as shown last term.

Emerging as potential buyers alongside Inter is Juventus and Al-Hilal, according to The Guardian, but the former are reportedly furious with the Premier League outfit for lifting his price tag.

But Chelsea have no choice but to raise their asking price as they attempt to recoup as much of their £97.5m spend when they initially re-signed him from Inter in 2021.

However, there is every possibility that he may be kept on at Stamford Bridge if no agreement is met with another club, though this would not be the ideal resolution as new boss Pochettino would struggle to give him a sound run of games.

Christopher Nkunku, and so there looks to be little room available for Lukaku next campaign.