Inter Milan have baulked at the prospect of signing Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan deal after Chelsea demanded a one-off payment of £20 million.
The Belgian is determined to return to the San Siro after less than 12 months at Stamford Bridge, where he moved for a club record £97 million.
Lukaku fell out with Thomas Tuchel last season when he criticised the German’s tactics and Kai Havertz became the club’s first choice striker for the remainder of the campaign.
Chelsea are now willing to offload Lukaku but Inter cannot afford to buy him permanently, particularly as the Blues are seeking a full reimbursement for the money they paid last August.
Inter have not given up hope of signing Lukaku and instead tried to negotiate a loan deal with Chelsea, who have shown a willingness to agree to such deals in the past as seen with the likes of Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa.
But the Daily Mail say Inter were taken aback when Chelsea demanded a £20 million fee for taking Lukaku on loan for a single season.
Chelsea want to sell Lukaku permanently and would view the £20 million as an effective down payment before Inter pay the remaining money in 12 months’ time.
Inter, though, would prefer a far smaller fee so that they could build the finances to sign Lukaku on a permanent basis in 2023.
