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La Gazzetta dello Sport even claimed that the deal was already done. For the time being, we are still waiting for an official announcement from Milan. Inter-CEO Beppe Marotta tempered expectations. “We are not announcing Lukaku today,” it sounded yesterday. “We try to put together a competitive team within the limits of what is feasible. We want to do everything we can. It is realistic, but there are still some hurdles. We’ll see how it goes.”
Possibly those ‘hurdles’ – read: the financial gap between Chelsea and Inter – are gone today. The water gets shallower by the day. Where Chelsea paid 115 million for Lukaku last summer, they were now originally aiming for a rental amount of 15 to 20 million. Inter hoped to be able to pay half of that. After some ping-pong back and forth, the Italians have increased that amount to 7 million euros, plus bonuses.
Should Chelsea also make a concession, then the Red Devil will return to Italy after a lean year. Chelsea have already stated that they will continue to pay a percentage of his wages during the rental period, although Lukaku will have to hand in part of his 12 million euros per year at the financially limited Inter. After all, they are also still trying to convince Paulo Dybala, whose contract with Juventus is expiring. “They are both on our list, Lukaku and Dybala. We are currently in talks and will be happy if they sign. But if not, we’ll just keep looking. It’s not about individuals, it’s about the group.”
