Romelu Lukaku 'will return to Chelsea against his will at the end of the season'... as Inter Milan are 'unable and unwilling to finance another move' for the Belgian after his disappointing spell on loan
- Romelu Lukaku rejoined Inter Milan on loan from Chelsea back in the summer
- However, he has struggled for form and fitness, scoring just seven times in total
- The Italian giants are now unlikely to attempt to sign him again next season
Romelu Lukaku will reportedly return to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell at Inter Milan, despite the Belgian striker wanting to remain in Italy.
Lukaku - who joined Chelsea from Inter in the summer of 2021 for £98m - went back to his former team on loan at the start of the season.
However, the 29-year-old has struggled for consistency at the San Siro, scoring just seven goals in 24 games and he has missed significant periods of the season through injury.
And, according to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku will return to Frank Lampard's side 'against his will' in the summer due to Inter not being able to afford the potential cost of another move.
The Italian outfit are under financial pressure, having recorded losses of €784m (£694m) over the past 10 years and they have an annual operating loss of about €150m (£133m).
![Romelu Lukaku will return to Chelsea in the summer despite wanting to stay with Inter Milan](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/17/08/69905933-11980529-image-a-1_1681716751250.jpg)
Romelu Lukaku will return to Chelsea in the summer despite wanting to stay with Inter Milan
![Lukaku endured a miserable time at Stamford Bridge after rejoining the club in 2021 for £98m](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/17/08/69905939-11980529-image-a-2_1681716757781.jpg)
Lukaku endured a miserable time at Stamford Bridge after rejoining the club in 2021 for £98m
As a result, they will have to make savings this summer and given Lukaku's lack of output after signing him back for an €8m (£6.9m) loan fee, plus covering a significant portion of his wages, the club has not received enough in return.
They are now preparing for a future without Lukaku and Inter are also in danger of missing out on next season's Champions League with Simone Inzaghi's side currently in fifth in Serie A - something that would further increase their financial troubles.
Inter's owners Suning have pumped in more than half a billion pounds worth of capital since taking over the club, but due to challenges back home in China, the club has had to rely on expensive loans from American investment funds in recent years.
The report goes onto state Lukaku would like to stay at the club where he scored 64 goals in 95 games between 2019-2021 and is willing to take a pay cut.
It must also be noted the forward has scored important goals in recent times, including the decisive effort in their 1-0 aggregate victory over Porto in the Champions League last-16, while he also netted in their 2-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of the quarter-final last week.
![The forward has struggled for form and fitness for Simone Inzaghi's since returning to Italy](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/17/08/69905955-11980529-image-a-3_1681716760934.jpg)
The forward has struggled for form and fitness for Simone Inzaghi's since returning to Italy
![Lukaku is popular at Inter after his first spell, but he hasn't done enough to earn another move](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/04/17/08/69905943-11980529-image-a-4_1681716763232.jpg)
Lukaku is popular at Inter after his first spell, but he hasn't done enough to earn another move
It now seems unless Lukaku begins a fantastic run of form for the rest of the season, Inter will not make the effort to extend his stay.
There is also the intriguing prospect that Chelsea need to sell players in order to balance the books after posting heavy losses of £121m in their latest financial accounts. Lukaku had been seen as a potential asset they could move on.
But, given he is nearly 30 and a key part of Inter's business model over the years has been from bringing in players before moving them on for profit, it reduces his hopes of a return to the San Siro.
Elsewhere, the club has reportedly been eyeing Marcus Thuram, Roberto Firmino, Mateo Retegui and Lois Openda as potential replacements for former Manchester United and Everton forward Lukaku for next season.
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