Romelu Lukaku is confident that he will be able to seal his exit from Chelsea and return to Inter Milan in the next two weeks, according to reports.
The Belgian striker arrived for his second stint at the Blues last summer for a club record fee of around £97.5 million, but he struggled in front of goal throughout a lot of the season.
He only netted 15 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for the club and is now said to be keen on a return to Inter, having won the Serie A title there in 2021.
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With the transfer window now in full swing, both clubs are now negotiating the 29-year-old's potential move back to the San Siro ahead of the new campaign.
As reported by football.london, Lukaku 'expects' to join Inter within the next couple of weeks and will arrive before they begin their pre-season schedule.
It was revealed on Saturday that the two clubs will hold further talks to discuss the move, with a traditional loan deal being suggested.
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However this may not be a reality this summer as Chelsea are believed to be keen on a swap deal, with their eyes set on the likes of Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Denzel Dumfries.
The Blues have already rejected Inter's initial bid of a €5 million loan fee, with the club wanting around €15 million more for the forward to join on a temporary basis.
Lukaku joined Inter from Manchester United in 2019, making 95 appearances in all competitions for the club across two seasons.
He scored 64 goals and assisted another 16 in total, with his 24 strikes in the 2020/21 campaign helping to guide the club to their first Serie A title since 2010.
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Lukaku then made the big money move to Chelsea last summer but after a promising start to life back at the club, he failed to have a strong impact on the team.
The Belgian came under scrutiny for an interview he conducted with Sky Italia in December, in which he revealed he was unhappy with his situation at the club and his desire to return to Inter at some point in his career.
Thomas Tuchel then dropped him from the squad to face Liverpool at the start of 2022 and despite scoring crucial goals in the Club World Cup, Lukaku had rare success in front of goal throughout the rest of the campaign.
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It now looks as though the striker will move back to the San Siro ahead of next season, and his current club could turn towards the transfer market in the hopes of finding his replacement.
Chelsea will have their sights set on their first Premier League title since 2017, as well as further success in the cup competitions as they enter a new chapter in their history under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership.
They are on the verge of making their first signing with goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina set to join from Chicago Fire.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Romelu Lukaku, Transfers, Football, Inter Milan, Premier League, Serie A
Robert Calcutt