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Chelsea and Inter Milan were set for crunch talks today (Friday) regarding the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, and it sounds like we might be ready to agree on a deal valued at €115m (£98m) as a result of them.
This is apparently still not a “formalized” offer, but surely that’s just a matter of time at this point. Other than a brief wobble from Inter leadership, this looks like a done deal, right Matt Law? Lukaku did train with Inter today still.
"As we talk on Thursday afternoon, UK time, [Chelsea] are getting very close now to landing Lukaku. And I'm always reluctant to say this in a transfer window ... from what I'm told the Lukaku one is over." — @Matt_Law_DT.
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) August 6, 2021
Please give the pod here! https://t.co/miNQCsoEPA
The word about €115m being on table comes from Gianluca Di Marzio, who adds that Inter remain entirely uninterested in doing anything other than a straight-cash deal, and have reportedly rejected ideas from Chelsea to include the likes of Marcos Alonso, Emerson, Tammy Abraham, or, most recently, Davide Zappacosta.
Abraham could yet get involved tangentially though, if he ends up going to Atalanta to replace Duván Zapata, who’s the primary target for Inter to replace Lukaku — that’s assuming Inter don’t self-destruct in the process, which is apparently one doomsday scenario making its rounds in Nerazzurri circles.
Corriere della Sera adds: “selling Lukaku isn’t the end: Lautaro, Barella, De Vrij as of today no-one can be certain of wearing the Inter shirt next season. The chapter concerning player sales is not yet closed.”
— Nima Tavallaey Roodsari (@NimaTavRood) August 6, 2021
This is my take on the situation as well. It’s a liquidation.