Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed that the club will not be re-signing Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal this summer, with the striker set to return Chelsea.
The Belgium international initially played for the Serie A giants between 2019 and 2021, scoring 64 goals in two major seasons that prompted Chelsea to re-sign him in a £97.5m deal.
Lukaku only scored 15 goals for the Premier League club in 2021-22, and he was permitted to return to Inter on loan last summer.
The 29-year-old has struggled to find his best form for Inter this season, scoring just five goals in 18 appearances across all competitions, including three in Serie A.
According to a recent report, Inter would struggle to re-sign Lukaku on a permanent basis in the next market due to the high cost of the deal.
Marotta has now confirmed that the Belgian will return to Stamford Bridge this summer rather than signing a long-term deal with the Black & Blues.
“The loan was for one season so on June 30 regardless of how well he plays, he’ll go back to Chelsea,” Marotta told Sky Italia. “This has been an unprecedented season.
“Lukaku is a case in point. [Marcelo] Brozovic isn’t the Brozovic we know. Lukaku hasn’t found the fitness he needs to play his best football. He’s still not at his best or the player we got to see in years gone by.”
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As per a recent report, Lukaku is not in Graham Potter’s plans for the 2023-24 season, with the Blues aiming to sign another center-forward. However, Real Madrid are said to be interested in his services.
Lukaku has 15 goals and three assists in 59 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.
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