Chelsea agree €115m fee with Inter for Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea have agreed a €115m fee with Inter for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgium international had asked Inter to be omitted from their matchday squad for a friendly against Parma on Sunday in order to seal a return to Stamford Bridge.

And now it looks like that reunion is on the horizon, with Nizaar Kinsella of Goal reporting that an agreement has been reached between the Blues and the Nerazzurri.

It was reported on Friday that Chelsea intended to submit two different bids for Lukaku. The first was a part-exchange deal, with the Blues offering €105m plus right-back Davide Zappacosta, while the second would be a straight-cash deal worth up to €115m. It appears Inter have opted to take the latter option.

Inter's finances have been hit hard by the pandemic, with Scudetto winning boss Antonio Conte leaving the club as they couldn't guarantee that his stars would be kept at San Siro - Achraf Hakimi has already departed for PSG, and Lukaku is now set to follow.

Lukaku would become Chelsea's second senior signing of the summer, following the arrival of backup goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli. The Blues have long been on the hunt for a new striker, with 90min revealing earlier this summer that they were looking to test Dortmund's resolve with a £150m bid for Erling Haaland. However, it appears the Norwegian attacker will be staying at Signal-Iduna Park.

90min also recently reported that Chelsea were confident of wrapping up a deal that would see Lukaku return to the club he supported as a child. He initially joined the club in 2011, making 15 appearances in all competitions but without ever finding the net.

Lukaku had successful loan spells with West Bromwich Albion and Everton between 2012 and 2014, before joining the Toffees in a permanent deal. He will return to the Premier League needing just four more goals to enter the '100 club'.

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