Report: Lukaku tells Inter he wants to return to Chelsea

Romelu Lukaku is inching closer to making a sensational return to Chelsea.

The Belgian forward made a U-turn on his earlier pledge to stay at Inter Milan after notifying the Italian club Wednesday that he wants to rejoin Chelsea this summer, reports Simon Johnson of The Athletic.

Chelsea have already submitted two offers for the 28-year-old, but the club is reportedly confident that a third bid worth more than £100 million will be enough to complete the deal.

Lukaku publicly stated earlier this summer that he wanted to remain at Inter for the 2021-22 campaign, saying he was happy at the Serie A club after winning the league title last season. Even Antonio Conte's departure didn't hinder his initial plans to remain in Milan.

But an approach from his former club appears to have changed Lukaku's mind, with Chelsea preparing a "huge" contract offer to have him return to Stamford Bridge, per Johnson.

Chelsea are reportedly going to offer Lukaku a long-term contract worth €12 million per season.

Although Lukaku didn't leave Chelsea on the best terms, he's eager to return and work alongside manager Thomas Tuchel, Johnson adds.

Lukaku played for Chelsea between 2011-14 but only made 15 appearances before being sold to Everton. He later joined Manchester United but moved to Inter in 2019 after a disastrous two-year spell at Old Trafford.

Inter would prefer to keep Lukaku, but financial issues have forced the club to consider slashing its wage bill by as much as 15-20% this summer. Inter sold Achraf Hakimi for €60 million in July, but more departures are anticipated.

Lukaku finished second among Serie A scorers last season with 24 goals in 36 appearances.