Romelu Lukaku is willing to reduce his wage demands in order to achieve a return to Inter Milan,’ with Chelsea’s future uncertain.
The Stamford Bridge club has been severely harmed by government sanctions imposed on owner Roman Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It hasn’t taken long for rumors about their key players to arise, with Belgian striker Lukaku, who cost the club a record £98 million, generating headlines in Italy.
The top page headline of Saturday’s Gazzetta Dello Sport is ‘Lukaku must be relocated’.
They report that Lukaku is willing to drop his wage demands in order to negotiate a loan return to Inter, with his desire to return ‘reinvigorated’ by recent events.
Lukaku is reported to make £325,000 per week as his baseline Chelsea salary, but up to £450,000 per week when image rights and bonuses are thrown in, a staggering number that is unlikely to be sustainable in the future if the club is not sold.
Additionally, Gazzetta reports that any Lukaku move is conditional on Abramovich selling the club and director Marina Granovskaia resigning.
The suspension of Abramovich’s assets is one of several punishments in force until May 31 but may be prolonged.
The transfer market does not start until July 1, and if Chelsea is sold, the club’s present restriction on buying, selling, or loaning players is likely to be overturned.
However, with sponsors like as Three pulling out and ticket and product sales suspended, Chelsea would suffer a significant financial impact and may be unable to afford large transfer prices and salaries in the future.
Lukaku has made no secret of his admiration for Inter, for whom he scored 64 goals in 95 appearances over two seasons prior to joining Chelsea last summer.
Lukaku stated a desire to return to Inter ‘in the near future’ during his controversial December interview with Sky Italia.
Lukaku’s time at Chelsea has been generally disappointing, with 11 goals in 31 appearances.