Inter Milan have valued Romelu Lukaku at £100 million as Chelsea aim to tempt the Belgium striker back to Stamford Bridge.
Signing a top goalscorer remains Chelsea’s priority this summer, and with Borussia Dortmund unlikely to negotiate a sale for Erling Haaland, it is the 28-year-old Lukaku who has emerged as the leading target.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane is also wanted by Chelsea but Manchester City is the England striker’s preferred destination and the London rivalry makes a deal highly unlikely.
Chelsea have already proposed deals to Inter which include cash plus players such as Marcos Alonso, the Spanish left-back. The Italian club has rejected these suggestions and publicly insist that Lukaku is not for sale this summer, but Inter’s financial difficulties may tempt them to come to an agreement.
Lautaro Martinez, Lukaku’s strike partner, is of interest to Arsenal and would be Inter’s preferred option to sell but Chelsea can provide a higher fee for Lukaku.
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The striker represented Chelsea from 2011 to 2014 and almost rejoined the club four years ago during Antonio Conte’s time as head coach, but ended up signing for Manchester United.
Lukaku has insisted that he is happy at Inter and is expecting to start the new season at the Serie A club, but it is understood that Chelsea is one of the few clubs that could convince him to leave.
Chelsea are hoping to negotiate with Inter while also being ready to listen to offers for players like Alonso, Kurt Zouma, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
