Chelsea set Romelu Lukaku asking price after rejecting fresh bid from Inter Milan
Lukaku has made it clear he has no intention of returning to Chelsea and the Blues are keen to offload the 30-year-old striker as they continue their clear-out of unwanted players.
Inter have been in talks to sign Lukaku on a permanent basis but an initial proposal by the Italian giants of around £26m is thought to have been immediately rejected by Chelsea.
Chelsea want to recoup more of the £97.5m they paid to sign Lukaku from Inter in 2021.
Juventus are thought to have registered an interest in Lukaku and could rival Inter for the Belgium international.
Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal are also interested. Lukaku is reluctant to move to Saudi Arabia but Al Hilal hope he will reconsider a move there.
Lukaku is due to return to Chelsea for pre-season training next week and hopes his future will be sorted before then.
Chelsea have already ruled out a loan move for Lukaku this summer.
Gazzetta dello Sport claimed on Saturday that Inter met with Lukaku’s lawyer Sebastien Ledure on Friday and hope for a breakthrough in talks.
But Chelsea want them to increase their offer and it remains to be seen whether the Serie A side can meet his valuation due to their financial issues.
Speaking at his Chelsea unveiling on Friday, new head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he expects Lukaku back at Cobham if he has not been sold in the meantime.
“Of course,” said Pochettino. “Like with all of the players, the first thing they do when they arrive is to come to my office and see me. That is what I expect if he is still a Chelsea player.”
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