Chelsea set to take eye-watering €85m hit on Romelu Lukaku as Inter finally agree to buy Blues flop outright

• Belgian will not return to London
• Inter to offer €30m plus add-ons
• Pochettino had dropped transfer hint

WHAT HAPPENED? The Belgian - who still has three years of a five-year contract remaining at Stamford Bridge - will be the subject of a fresh offer from the Nerrazzurri, reported by Gazzetta dello Sport to be €30 million (£25.6m/$33m) plus substantial add-ons. The Italian giants had previously been pursuing another loan deal following his stint there in 2022-23, but Chelsea only want an outright sale.

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: That potential fee represents a huge loss for Chelsea, who re-signed the player in 2021 for €115m (£98m/$126m) before being shipped out on loan after one disappointing season in west London.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Lukaku had been due to reunite with his Chelsea team-mates for pre-season training, although new boss Mauricio Pochettino had hinted a resolution to his future was close.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

WHAT NEXT FOR ROMELU LUKAKU? With his future perhaps soon to be settled, Lukaku can fully focus on pre-season preparations as the Champions League finalists gear up for Serie A's resumption on the August 20.