Romelu Lukaku 'willing to take £3m pay cut to seal Chelsea exit'

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku is reportedly happy to give up £3m in wages in order to seal an exit from Stamford Bridge this summer.

After leaving Stamford Bridge without a single goal to his name in 2014, the 29-year-old returned with high expectations from Inter Milan for £97.5m last summer.

However, Lukaku's Chelsea return has proven to be a dismal affair for both club and player after Lukaku openly admitted that he was pining for a return to San Siro in an interview with Italian media.

Lukaku admitted that he was also struggling with Thomas Tuchel's system before issuing an apology to the fans, but he has since struggled to force his way into the German's first XI.

The former Everton and Manchester United man ended the 2021-22 season with 15 goals and two assists from 44 games in all competitions, including eight strikes in the Premier League.

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Lukaku managed three goals in three starts against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Leicester City last month but was demoted back down to the bench for the final-day win over Watford.

There have been suggestions that Lukaku is keen to stay and try to reignite his Chelsea career, but the Daily Mail claims that he is still keen to head back to Inter.

The 2020-21 Serie A champions' long-running financial problems are thought to have made a permanent return impossible, with a loan deal previously mooted for the Belgium international.

However, the report adds that Lukaku is willing to take a sizeable hit on his salary to leave Chelsea, and his contract at Inter could see him earn £125k per week.

Simone Inzaghi's side are understood to be interested in bringing Lukaku back to the club, but it remains to be seen if the cash-strapped Nerazzurri can string together a financial package that will satisfy the Blues.

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Chelsea are now free to buy, sell and negotiate new contracts with players after Todd Boehly's takeover was confirmed earlier this week, but Lukaku's deal is not due to expire until 2026.

The Belgian previously struck 64 goals in 95 games for Inter Milan before returning to West London and has reportedly changed agents after hitting out at comments from former representative Federico Pastorello.

A recent report claimed that Chelsea would allow Lukaku to return to Inter should the Italian side pay a loan fee of €20m (£17m), while an obligation to buy of €70m (£59.5m) would also be included in the contract.

While Lukaku's exit remains up in the air, Chelsea confirmed on Thursday that Antonio Rudiger had completed a free transfer to Real Madrid after rejecting the club's offer of a new contract.