£185k-p/w Chelsea Star Could Return After Loan

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the future of loaned-out Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has not been decided.

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The Belgium forward only signed for the Blues the summer before last, arriving from Inter for what was a club-record £97.5m transfer fee.

After just one season back in England, however, he then returned back to the Serie A club on loan, leaving his long-term future at Stamford Bridge under much doubt.

Still, when he left England, Thomas Tuchel was in charge. Now the German and his replacement Graham Potter have both been sacked, much has changed at Chelsea.

It seems as though Mauricio Pochettino will take over as manager next season, and this could potentially open the door for Lukaku to return.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano explained that Inter and the Blues will hold talks in the next month or so – but nothing is set in stone just yet one way or the other amid uncertainties over the future of Nerazzurri boss Simone Inzaghi.

He explained: “So Lukaku is waiting for Inter, and Inter are waiting to make important decisions, including [on] the coach.

“There will be a talk with Chelsea at the end of the season. So Chelsea and Inter will speak, it will be [at the] end of May, beginning of June – they will have a conversation about the situation of Romelu Lukaku.

“So it’s not over yet. But for Lukaku, that is the crucial moment – not now. Nothing will be decided now.

“And also, it’s important to understand who is going to be Chelsea’s new coach – probably Mauricio Pochettino – [in terms of] the decision on Lukaku. So at the moment, nothing [has been] decided.”

Will Lukaku go back to Chelsea?

Much has been made about the Premier League club’s need for a goalscoring striker in their team and it shouldn’t be forgotten that Lukaku could be a solution to this issue.

After all, he has scored over 250 senior goals over the span of his career – including 15 in a Chelsea shirt.

However, his form in Italy hasn’t been that great this term, as he has only nine goals in 26 games across all competitions.

Even so, the Blues may not be able to spend much this summer as they are potentially at risk of breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

With that being the case, Lukaku may be the best way of solving their striker problems without dipping into the transfer market. At the same time, if Inter come in with a decent offer, it may be wise to accept it.

All in all, it will certainly be interesting to see where the £185k-per-week star’s future lies.