Inter Milan have reportedly made it clear that they cannot afford to keep Romelu Lukaku at the club past the conclusion of this season on the striker's current terms.
The 29-year-old is currently on loan from Premier League side Chelsea and has endured an injury-riddled season to date, limiting him to just 14 Serie A appearances in which he has netted three goals.
Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer found the net on Friday night during Inter's 2-1 loss at strugglers Spezia, with Lukaku playing 90 minutes for the first time since August.
According to the Daily Mail, the Italian giants will not be able to afford to keep the ex-Manchester United forward at the club past this season if cheaper terms are not agreed with Chelsea.
The report claims that Lukaku would prefer to stay with Inter after the end of this campaign, however his current loan package totalling at around £20m is too costly for the 2020-21 Serie A winners.
Inter travel to Porto on Tuesday for the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, with Lukaku's late winner in the first leg three weeks ago giving the Italians a slight advantage going into the fixture.
Carter White
