Chelsea raise Lukaku bid, but not enough for Inter
Chelsea’s next offer for Romelu Lukaku is expected to be worth €120m plus a player, which is not enough to convince Inter into a sale.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Premier League club will make the proposal tomorrow, after the initial bid of €100m plus Marcos Alonso was rejected.
It is expected to be €120m cash (£101.95m) plus a player that Inter are happy with.
However, Sportitalia have suggested the asking price is €130m in cash (circa £110.8m), and even that might not necessarily be enough now.
That’s because Inter directors Piero Ausilio and Beppe Marotta, coach Simone Inzaghi and of course the fans are all furious at the idea of losing their star man.
Lukaku was not just top scorer last season on their way to the Scudetto, he was also a leader on the pitch and off it, a symbol of the club’s revival.
It’s even worse if the rumours are true that only €35m will be set aside to find a replacement, which would limit their options radically, ruling out first picks Dusan Vlahovic of Fiorentina and Atalanta hitman Duvan Zapata.
Manchester City have also damaged Chelsea’s bid, because having paid £100m for Jack Grealish today (€117.7m), Inter will inevitably argue that Lukaku is worth much more.
Chelsea pronto a salire a 120 milioni per Lukaku. Domani il contatto con l’Inter https://t.co/de5KQSbbW3
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) August 5, 2021