Chelsea and Inter Milan have allegedly made progress in their efforts to reach an agreement over the transfer of Romelu Lukaku.
Two years ago, the clubs negotiated a £97.5m deal which took the forward from San Siro to Stamford Bridge, where he netted 15 times in 44 games during 2021-22.
However, it had become apparent before the end of that campaign that the Belgium international wanted to return to Inter, and a loan arrangement was subsequently agreed.
Despite a slow start on his reunion with I Nerazzurri, Lukaku went on to contribute 14 goals and seven assists in all competitions, convincing Inter to make every effort to retain his services.
Nevertheless, finding a compromise with their Chelsea counterparts is far from easy, with the Premier League giants said to desire the opposite to what Inter can currently afford.
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At a time when Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital want to recoup a substantial fee, Inter's preference is a loan with an option to buy, with the latter far from guaranteed to be activated due to their financial situation.
According to 90min, there are signs that the relevant parties are prepared to reach an agreement over a deal as they bid to end the saga involving the 30-year-old.
A season-long loan deal with an obligation to buy is said to be the most likely option at this stage, a scenario which could theoretically suit Chelsea providing that they can still meet all their FFP requirements this summer.
The report adds that a permanent deal remains a possibility if Inter choose to use any funds generated from the sale of Marcelo Brozovic to Al-Nassr and potential exit of goalkeeper Andre Onana.
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Previously, it has been alleged that Lukaku is also prepared to take a pay cut in order to boost his chances of another stint at Inter, with the player having already rejected a more lucrative deal in Saudi Arabia.
From Chelsea's perspective, they will be increasingly eager to resolve Lukaku's future having completed the signing of Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson on Friday.
With Christopher Nkunku having been brought in from RB Leipzig and Armando Broja pushing to return from a serious knee injury, Mauricio Pochettino theoretically has his striking options in place.
Meanwhile, Inter currently only have one senior frontman on their books, with Edin Dzeko's departure to Fenerbahce leaving Lautaro Martinez as the solitary option for Simone Inzaghi.
Darren Plant
