Chelsea have reportedly turned down an opening loan bid of £5 million from Inter Milan for wantaway Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku, according to the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Lukaku, in recent weeks, has been heavily linked with a return to San Siro just a summer into joining the Blues with the striker failing to impress Thomas Tuchel with his showings last term despite a club-record fee spent on his recruitment.
Inter are the clear frontrunners in the race to re-sign their former talisman with the 29-year-old rejecting opportunities to move away from the Bridge to sign for either Bayern Munich or Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea and Inter, however, continue to play hardball going by Romano’s latest claim, with both clubs wide apart in their valuation for Lukaku as the Blues expect the Italian giants to improve upon their initial proposal of €5 m plus €2 m add ons.
Lukaku was one of the most inconsistent performers for Tuchel’s side across the 21-22 campaign with the record signing managing to net just eight Premier League goals in 26 outings.
