Romelu Lukaku was once rejected by Chelsea but now the Premier League side have been trying all they could to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
Recall that Chelsea brought Lukaku from Belgium to the Premier League on August 8, 2011, for just €15 million. Before the club brought him from a Belgian side, RSC Anderlecht, he was seen as one of the brightest stars of his generation. But when he got to the club, Chelsea did not believe in him as much as they did initially.
Hence, he was sent on loan to West Brom the following year and then to Everton in 2013 and subsequently sold to Everton on July 30, 2014, for €35.36 million. He became so outstanding at Everton that Manchester United paid €84.70 million for his services in 2017.
After two seasons, he left the Premier League for Inter Milan where he has become one of the most prolific strikers not only in the Italian Serie A but in the world.
Now, Chelsea who won the UEFA Champions League last season are looking for a proven striker that will help to covert the countless chances a striker like Timo Werner is good at missing. Hence, they have turned to Lukaku and Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund.
Reports first claimed that Chelsea bid for Haaland earlier in the summer but his club rejected the bid because they were not ready to sell him this summer. The 21-year-old Norwegian striker also said he was not ready to leave the German Bundesliga side and said the purported £100 million bid on him was too much for a single player.
That rejection did not deter the management of Chelsea from forging ahead in the transfer market. When most football fans and pundits thought the London-based club have given up on the pursuit of Romelu Lukaku, reports went viral that Inter Milan rejected Chelsea’s £85 million bid on the Belgian striker.
The rejection of the bid is said to be a big surprise for Chelsea because of the magnitude of it and the fact that the club included Marcos Alonso in the bid. It is also a big surprise to many that Inter Milan rejected such a bid because the club is facing a financial crisis that led to the exit of their former coach, Antonio Conte.
Recall that Conte had to leave the club when the club’s management told him that his budget for the coming 2021-2022 season would be cut down and that some of his star players would be sold to raise funds to run the club. With that, it was expected that the world would witness a mass exodus of superstar players from the club including Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgium international who scored 64 goals and provided 16 assists in 95 goals since he joined Inter Milan from Manchester United on August 8, 2019, for a transfer fee worth €74 million, is too happy in Italy and is not ready for any move this summer.
Recall that Romelu Lukaku has made it clear that he does not have a plan to leave Inter Milan and it seems he and the reigning Italian Serie A champions are on the same page. His contract with the club will expire on June 30, 2024.
Inter have received an approach from Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku. Bid around €100m including Marcos Alonso as part of the negotiation. 🔵 #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 2, 2021
Inter board turned down the proposal as they want to keep Lukaku – they’ve always considered Romelu as “untouchable”. @DiMarzio 🇧🇪 #Inter
