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Chelsea paid Inter a then-club record £97million to bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge in 2021 but his homecoming has been a disaster both on and off the pitch.
The striker scored just eight Premier League goals for the Blues and enraged fans by publicly stating his desire to return to the San Siro just months after the transfer.
He got his wish last season, returning to the Serie A giants on loan, and now he and the club want to make the move permanent, even with Mauricio Pochettino insisting that Lukaku will be back for pre-season training.
Chelsea have been attempting to create a three-club bidding war between Inter, Juventus and Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, but the Belgium international only has eyes for the former.
Juventus are keen but unwilling to meet the £40m valuation, while Lukaku has rejected an offer from Al-Hilal who have already signed from the Blues this summer.
But the 30-year-old’s dream move is currently on hold after Chelsea rejected Inter’s opening offer of £23m that was made at the end of last week.
Chelsea were looking to raise over £200m in player sales this summer and are extremely close to achieving that with around £188m in the bank so far through the sales of six stars including Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, with more set to follow.
They have also already sorted out a direct replacement for Lukaku in the form of Nicolas Jackson who has joined from Villarreal for £30m.
The 22-year-old centre-forward overcame injury issues to end last season in blistering form, scoring nine goals in his final eight games as well as laying on two assists.
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