Chelsea, one of a handful of European teams keen on signing Romelu Lukaku, have had their hopes dashed as the Belgian striker pledged his foreseeable future to Inter Milan in the wake of their Serie A title success.
Despite signing Timo Werner last summer, the Blues are said to be on the hunt for a reliable, more natural goalscoring no.9, with their German forward often playing on the wing and drifting out wide. Lukaku, who has been nothing but a hit since joining the Nerazzurri, is reportedly on their radar.
There have been questions as to whether the 27-year-old would accept a return to Stamford Bridge, having been a Chelsea player from 2011 to 2014. Back then, the former Anderlecht sensation found playing time hard to come by and eventually got an exit, joining Everton before bursting onto the scene in the English top-flight.
A rough spell at Man Utd followed, with the Red Devils forward falling out of favor with the fans before leaving for Inter to rejuvenate his career. And the Belgian did just that, scoring 27 goals in 41 games for Antonio Conte's side to lead them to their first Scudetto in 11 years, ending Juventus' nine-year dominance in Italy.
The striker talked with Sky Sport Italia after being crowned the Serie A champions, and when asked if this was the best season of his professional career, Lukaku responded by hinting his desire to remain in Milan.
"Last year was good too, but yes, this was the best of my career. It's wonderful and I hope to continue like this. I want to thank everyone, I am truly so happl," the 27-year-old said, as per the Daily Mail.
Romelu Lukaku to Sky Sport: "I'm really proud to be an Inter player. I've a special feeling with this club, that's why I decided to celebrate around the city today with our fans". He's not planning to leave the club in the summer. #Inter
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 2, 2021
This being his first league title since leaving his home country, Lukaku took to the streets to celebrate this achievement, albeit on his own. The attacker went on to express his uttermost gratitude for the fans and the staff after their title-winning campaign.
"I am so happy for all the Inter fans in the world, for the team, the staff, the president and everyone," Lukaku also stated.
"I wanted to come out here and celebrate along with the people. I told my friend this was the best way to experience it, to be there with the fans.
"For me and many of my team-mates, this is our first league title, so it's a moment we wanted to share with them."
Conte is undoubtedly a fan of Lukaku, and going by Romelu's words, the striker has no intentions of leaving Milan. Unfortunately, due to the club's financial crisis, the Serie A champions could be forced into selling their star names in order to balance the books and that includes their top scorer. However, a $146M price tag is being touted and it remains to be seen whether Chelsea will spend that much on their former player given their interest in Haaland and Kane.
