‘We need to wait’ – Romelu Lukaku tight-lipped on future amid Chelsea exit talk
Romelu Lukaku has refused to be drawn on his future, leaving it unclear whether the on-loan Chelsea (opens in new tab) striker will join Inter Milan (opens in new tab) on a permanent basis this summer.
Lukaku returned to Inter on loan last summer, less than a year after rejoining Chelsea from the Serie A giants in a then club-record £97.5m move.
And as the end of the season nears, the Belgian international’s next step would appear to be undecided, despite speculation of a permanent exit from Stamford Bridge.
The man himself hasn’t given anything away, telling DAZN when asked if he’d be keen to stay with Inter beyond the end of 2022/23:
“We need to wait because the others are talking. I just have to give my best for Inter.”
Lukaku, who turns 30 in May, flopped quite spectacularly in his second spell at Chelsea, managing just eight goals in 28 Premier League appearances under Thomas Tuchel.
The former Manchester United (opens in new tab) and Everton (opens in new tab) frontman saw his current stint at Inter get off to a slow start as he was hit by injury for much of the first half of the season – but he has since looked something like his old self, finding the net seven times in his last 14 appearances – which have often come as a substitute.
Lukaku bagged a brace last time out as Simone Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri ran out 3-0 winners away to Empoli in Serie A; he also dispatched a penalty in the first leg of Inter’s Champions League quarter-final victory over Benfica (opens in new tab), which set up a mouthwatering semi-final showdown with arch-rivals AC Milan (opens in new tab).