Inter have made the decision not to renew Romelu Lukaku’s loan deal for another season, and are already looking for a replacement for the Belgian striker. The 29-year-old arrived on loan from Chelsea last summer, but a string of injuries reduced his playing time in the first portion of the season, while poor form in recent matches has led the Nerazzurri to reassess their options.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter and Lukaku are at ‘the last mile’ and the club’s future will be without Lukaku, who is set to return to London in June.
The Nerazzurri spent close to €20m to bring the striker back to Milan last year, but feel that the investment has not matched the player performance over the course of the season. Gazzetta suggest that it would take an extraordinary turnaround in the Belgian’s form for Inter to consider keeping him for another year, but that seems highly unlikely with just weeks of the season left.
The player has also not felt that his return to Inter has gone as expected as he did not feel at the centre of coach Simone Inzaghi’s project, while also complaining about the training and the way he was used by the coach on the pitch.
Inter are expected to try and cut back on salary costs for the next season, using the money they would divert to Lukaku on a younger striker instead, while trying to avoid the mistakes they made with the failure to sign Paulo Dybala.
The Nerazzurri are currently eyeing up new striker options and have made inquiries about Roberto Firmino, who is set to leave Liverpool on a free this summer. Another option could be Marcus Thuram, a long-standing target for the club, with whom Inter have already held talks over a move.
The primary candidate seems to be Mateo Retegui, the national team’s new center forward. The player has been followed by Inter for more than a year, but they need €18 million to bring him to Milan: considering the salary, it would not be so different from the cost of a single season loan for Lukaku.
Finally, the Nerazzurri are keeping an eye on Belgian talent Lois Openda, 23, who this year with Lens in Ligue 1 has put together 15 goals in 31 appearances.
