Chelsea transfer news: Romelu Lukaku could see his exit from the Blues confirmed in the coming days following Inter’s £47million decision

Manchester United are in the process of finalising the transfer of Andre Onana which offers Mauricio Pochettino a clear Romelu Lukaku exit timeline (Image: (Photo by sportinfoto/DeFodi Images via Getty Images))

The transfer saga surrounding Romelu Lukaku finally looks to be nearing an end with a third bid expected to arrive from Inter in the coming days following their own transfer decision. The Italian side lodged a first bid that fell way below the Blues’ valuation, though a second proposal submitted on Thursday was taken more seriously by those at Stamford Bridge. But it was still deemed not enough to sanction an exit.

That offer was in the region of £25million and was not accepted by Chelsea because interest and offers from other parties are currently higher, according to The Times. Proposals from Saudi Arabia and Juventus are said to be on the table but Lukaku only wants a permanent return to Inter.

The Belgian striker signed for the Blues in the summer of 2021 but fell out of favour with Thomas Tuchel and an unauthorised Sky Italia interview quickly saw any hope of the relationship being built back up crumble. Lukaku spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at San Siro, often deputising for Edin Dzeko who has since sealed an exit.

Therefore, Inter are interested in bringing Lukaku back but they are currently being met by Chelsea’s firm asking price stance. However, Simone Inzaghi could raise their bid significantly very soon as they are close to pocketing a hefty amount of money from the sale of Andre Onana.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have submitted their final verbal proposal to Inter and are now very close to sealing the transfer. Despite Onana being on Chelsea’s goalkeeper wish list, this could be a huge boost for Pochettino.

The Times claimed earlier in the week that Inter will step up their pursuit of Lukaku once Onana’s transfer to Man United had been finalised, and that does not look far off. Lukaku was due at Cobham training ground on Wednesday but it was widely reported he had already decided the previous day he would not be reporting for pre-season which saw a new return date set for Monday, July 16.

However, by that date, Lukaku may no longer be a Chelsea player at all with Romano revealing Onana’s transfer is imminent and thus Inter can turn their attention onto Lukaku. After spending nearly £100million to sign the former Man United star, raising anywhere between £30million-£40million can be considered good business given his turbulent few years and it is more funds that can potentially be added to Pochettino’s summer transfer budget.

Much of the summer window has been focused on outgoings, but Chelsea are eyeing two significant arrivals and have made progress in both over the last few days. A deal for Moises Caicedo looks to be edging closer while the west Londoners are now in direct contact with Lyon for Rayan Cherki.

The Blues had already stepped up their interest in the French ace after holding talks with his representatives, football.london understands.

Soucre: football.london