Chelsea offer rejected by Inter Milan star - Reports
Chelsea reportedly made contact with Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku earlier this summer but their advances were promptly rejected by the Belgian.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea offered Lukaku a contract worth over €10 million and were willing to pay Inter Milan €130 million to secure the striker's services. However, the Belgian apparently 'thanked them' for the offer and 'politely declined'.
The 28-year old spent three years at Chelsea as a youngster from 2011 to 2014, but failed to establish himself in the starting XI during his stint with the Blues. However, Lukaku has now grown into one of the premier strikers in world football.
Lukaku was an integral part of Antonio Conte's 2020-21 Scudetto-winning Inter Milan side. The forward bagged 24 goals and 11 assists in the league, in what was another stellar season for him.
Chelsea are reportedly desperate to bring in a striker this summer, with Thomas Tuchel having lost faith in Timo Werner. The forward had an underwhelming 2020-21 season, failing to adapt to the Premier League.
Along with Lukaku, Chelsea have also been linked with the likes of Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski. However, it seems unlikely that the Blues will be able to land any of their attacking targets this summer.
Also Read: Fabrizio Romano's Transfer Roundup: Chelsea's plans for the transfer window, Arsenal complete signing and more
Lukaku unfazed by Chelsea offer
Romelu Lukaku returned from his holiday to join up with Inter Milan's pre-season camp earlier this week following his exploits for Belgium at Euro 2020. The striker was asked about his holiday following a grueling 2020-21 campaign with both club and country. He told Inter's official website:
"It went well. I went to New York for a few days, Miami and then the Turk and Caicos Islands with my mother and son, before heading back to Miami. I did get to relax, but I’ve also been training to stay fit and be able to start [the season] well. We now have a few weeks to prepare as well as we can for the new campaign. We hope to do well and achieve even more than last year."
The forward also spoke about his excitement for the upcoming season and his thoughts on new manager Simone Inzaghi.
"We had a good chat on the day that the club announced that he was going to be the new coach and we also spoke when I was at the Euros. My brother has also told me plenty about him. He’s a good coach. I think he’ll help the team achieve so much. I’m thrilled to be back. We hope we can all work together to continue down the path that we’ve started," Lukaku said.