Lukaku's time at Chelsea has been a pain for the Belgian international, who elected to return to the Premier League and is now on his way out of Stamford Bridge. After a failed stint at Chelsea, the former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Inter striker has opted to return to his previous club Inter.
Lukaku, who was once regarded as a goal-scoring machine in Italy, has evolved into something entirely different at Chelsea.
Before joining Chelsea, he was a member of the Italian Serie's goal-scoring champions.
According to sources, the Belgium international has decided to leave Chelsea on loan, but Chelsea are looking for a 'counterpart' as part of Romelu Lukaku's loan to Inter Milan, with Lautaro Martinez a likely target.
The £98 million Belgian forward is uneasy at Stamford Bridge and looks certain to leave this summer, with sources claiming that new owner Todd Boehly is willing to authorise Lukaku's return to Inter if they pay a £20 million loan fee. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea are also looking into bringing a player in from Inter as part of the deal, and are interested in signing one of three players: Martinez, Lukaku's former strike partner, Milan Skriniar, and Alessandro Bastoni.
Lukaku has struggled since returning to West London last summer, netting just eight goals in the Premier League, and infamously told the Italian press that he was unhappy at the club. back in December.
At the San Siro, Martinez and Lukaku had a strong bond and partnership, with the latter even naming-dropping his old team-mate, warning him not to join Chelsea because he would soon be back with him at Inter.
'Will Lautaro Martinez be joining me at Chelsea in the future?' he asked.
'No... Lautaro, you can stay in Milan; I'll return (laughs).'
Chelsea has initiated talks with Inter over a trade for Skriniar, according to Sportsmail, however the two clubs are still far apart in terms of valuation, while Italy international Bastoni is being pursued by both Manchester United and Tottenham.
The Blues are open to a loan transfer, according to the report, which comes after reports in the Italian press that new Chelsea boss Todd Boehly was ready to allow the move amid the player's unclear future.
Following growing tensions between Lukaku and manager Thomas Tuchel, the Belgian was benched for a number of games, and now the German is scheduled to meet with Boehly to establish a timetable for his departure, according to Gazetta.
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