Chelsea looking to agree deal to send striker out on loan

Chelsea will be looking to earn a fourth consecutive victory when they welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. 

The Blues have beaten Leeds United, Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City in the last ten days, and will be looking to close the gap to the European qualification places with victory over The Toffees.

Since taking charge of the club last summer, new owner Todd Boehly has overseen the arrivals of 16 new signings at Stamford Bridge, and a number of current players are expected to leave this summer.

The likes of Edouard Mendy, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic have all been linked with a move away from west London in recent months, and it now appears that the club are working to agree a loan deal for one of their strikers.

As per 90min, The Blues are in talks with Italian side Inter Milan over a deal to extend Romelu Lukaku’s stay with the club.

The report claims that the Serie A side are intent on extending Lukaku’s spell with the club, with the player having returned to Italy last summer.

Lukaku, 29, first left Chelsea back in 2014 and spent time with both Everton and Manchester United before joining Inter in 2019.

Lukaku could remain in Italy for another season

During the 2020/21 campaign, Lukaku scored 30 goals in 44 matches across all competitions, including 24 league goals as Inter stormed to the Serie A title.

He then returned to Chelsea in the summer of 2021, costing The Blues around £97.5 million, but his first season back in London didn’t go to plan.

The Belgium international scored just eight Premier League goals and found himself out of favour by the end of the season, prompting Chelsea to send the striker back to Inter on loan at the start of the current campaign.

This term, Lukaku has scored five goals in 18 matches across all competitions and has struggled with injuries, but Inter appear to be keen on extending his second spell with the club.

The report claims that the Italian side are hopeful of agreeing a deal with reduced terms for next season, while Chelsea have already spoken to the player about the possibility of extending his loan spell.

Lukaku isn’t said to be in Chelsea’s plans, while the player is reportedly willing to defer some of his wages if it means he can stay put in Italy.