Chelsea has tabled £85m bid for Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku after their first two bid for the former Everton and Manchester United striker was turned down. The 28-year-old is at the head of Chelsea’s search for a new forward after Borussia Dortmund rejected their bid for striker Erling Braut Haaland.
The English Premier League side has seriously been searching for a striker since the departure of their former point man Olivier Giroud. But Inter Milan’s owners are of the opinion that the player is not for sale as they wrestle with significant financial issues.
Romelu Lukaku, a former Blues player, was a key player last season for Inter Milan as he helped them won their first Serie A title since 2010. It is understood Chelsea were willing to include Spanish defender Marcos Alonso in the deal, but the Italian club still turned down the offer. It remains to be seen whether the Champions League winners will make a higher offer, although Inter believes they can resist it. Lukaku has previously spoken about his intention to stay at the club.
Lukaku played 15 games during three seasons at Chelsea between 2011 and 2014 without scoring a goal.
He came close to rejoining the club in 2017 but instead opted to link up with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United for £75m, where he scored 42 goals in 96 games for United, but left for Inter in 2019 for a club-record fee of 80m euros (£74m) on a five-year deal.