Chelsea will face Real Madrid tonight in the toughest test since the beginning of the season on their way to defending the European throne, and the most expensive signing in the history of the club will probably watch the match from the bench. Romelu Lukaku has not been a starter in the Premier League and the Champions League since mid-February. It won’t happen tonight either. The return of the Belgian to Stamford Bridge did not bring anyone any good.In August, the European champion spent 123 million USD on bringing the Belgian and pretty much ended up with a foreign body that the organism refuses to accept. Although in theory, it seemed that the Blues lacked only a center forward of his caliber, it turned out that Chelsea and Lukaku are incompatible. The Belgian is not even a shadow of the striker who bombarded opponents’ nets at Inter Milan in the previous two seasons. He turned back into that insecure and helpless player he was in Manchester United. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel would probably love to see Lukaku leave, but he has no choice but to keep him on the bench. At least until June. And then parting ways will most likely follow…Sat 19:00: (1.40) Inter (4.90) Verona (9.00)Inter are waiting for that chance, and Lukaku would gladly accept the return to the Apennine peninsula. Gazzetta dello Sport revealed today that the ties between Inter and Lukaku have never been severed and that contacts have become more frequent in recent weeks. Nostalgic messages, audio recordings, video calls… Phone traffic between London and Milan has become almost an everyday routine. Lukaku is in constant contact with Inter players, but also with the club’s directors, to whom he openly said:”If you want me back, I’ll be there.”The recent words of the Belgian national team coach Roberto Martinez also show that parting is inevitable.”I expect a few players to change clubs in the summer and start playing in different roles from September than they have now. I am thinking specifically of Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard,” said Martinez.The irony is that Inter Milan sold Lukaku in August this year due to financial problems in order to cover the deficit in the club’s finances. Today, the situation is not that much better, but Inter must take advantage of the situation if a chance appears. Of course, the Italians would pay less than what they earned from Chelsea in August, but it would also pay off to the Blues to at least earn a part of the invested funds until the value of the player drops even more. A loan with an option to buy would be the most realistic solution for all three parties, and the uncertainty about the future of Chelsea after the departure of Roman Abramovich could only speed up the whole process.Cautious giants face-off at the BridgeInter certainly planned to spend money on bringing in a center forward during the upcoming transfer window, since Edin Dzeko is not an appropriate solution and cannot play the whole season. The plan was to bring Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo for about 43.5 million USD, but Lukaku is a better and cheaper option if Chelsea agree to a loan.In the end, the biggest sacrifice in the whole story would have to be made by the player himself. He earns 13.5 million USD a year at Chelsea, Inter can offer him 8 million at most. That is a serious salary reduction. But he would rather be the first star at Inter than just a reserve player at Chelsea, as he failed to impose himself in the team of the European champion.
