Chelsea star’s reason for snubbing move revealed

Several players have already left Chelsea this summer as owner Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino oversee an overhaul of the squad. 

The likes of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic have all already left Stamford Bridge, as well as former club captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kante.

Another player that has been heavily linked with a move away from Chelsea is Romelu Lukaku, but the Belgian forward’s proposed move to Inter Milan has reportedly fallen through.

As per Football Italia via The Mail, the forward snubbed the chance to return to former club Inter after being left out of the starting XI for the Champions League final last season.

Lukaku spent last term on loan at the Italian club, but the Belgium international was only named as a substitute for the final against Manchester City.

Lukaku’s future remains uncertain

The striker was substituted on towards the end of the game, but he missed two good chances to draw his side level before Inter eventually lost 1-0.

Back in 2021, Chelsea paid around £97.5 million to sign Lukaku from Inter, with the player having helped Inter to the Serie A title just weeks before his move.

He struggled during the 2021/22 campaign, though, scoring just eight Premier League goals – and was then sent back to Inter on loan.

Last term the forward netted 14 goals in 37 matches across all competitions, including ten in 25 Serie A games.

He had been heavily linked with a permanent move to the San Siro, but the report claims that he turned down the opportunity after missing out on a starting spot for the Champions League final in June.

With the proposed move to Inter having collapsed, Lukaku now faces an extremely uncertain future although the Belgium international has reportedly attracted interest from fellow Italian side Juventus.

In total, Lukaku has scored 15 goals in 59 matches for Chelsea across two spells with the club, but it appears increasingly likely that he will depart this summer after being left out of the squad for the club’s pre-season tour of the USA.