Lukaku joining Inter would suit all parties but it is easier said than done

Only one thing can ruin Romelu Lukaku’s hopes of reigniting his love affair with Internazionale this summer: money. Take the finances out of the equation and everything would be so straightforward. Lukaku would be free to move back to a league more suited to his talents, Inter would be reunited with the striker who fired them to the Serie A title in 2021, and Chelsea would be able to move on from a player who has spent the past 10 months putting together a strong claim to be the worst signing of the Roman Abramovich era.

It has been a disaster. Lukaku has not settled since joining Chelsea for £97.5m last summer and Thomas Tuchel will not stand in his way if a deal with Inter can be agreed. There is little trust between the pair, little desire to adapt to each other’s needs, little sign that they will ever be on the same wavelength. It is not a productive relationship and at this stage, with Lukaku clearly unsuited to Tuchel’s system and keen to force his way back to Inter, it is difficult to see what Chelsea would gain from hanging on to the Belgian.

Yet there are hurdles to overcome if Lukaku is to get his way. Chelsea, whose takeover by a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital went through last week, cannot simply wave him goodbye. The deal needs to make financial sense and Lukaku, who has asked his lawyer to speak to Inter on his behalf, is not an easy player to shift in this market.

Inter cannot afford to buy Lukaku, or pay his £325,000-a-week wages. They sold him because they were in financial trouble. Now they are proposing to sign him on loan and, although there is talk of Inter paying a sizeable loan fee and taking on a heavy portion of Lukaku’s wages, there is doubt over whether they will be able to