Chelsea quickly regretted letting Lukaku leave the club on loan to Inter Milan

Chelsea quickly regretted sending Romelu Lukaku on loan to Inter Milan this summer, according to reports.

After re-signing for the club in summer 2021 for £97.5million - the seventh-most expensive transfer of all time - the Belgian striker endured a disappointing season, only scoring eight league goals, and was farmed out to the Italian giants in June.

But as reported by The Athletic, the Premier League side rued their decision almost immediately - despite big doubts at Inter about his performances.

Letting Lukaku leave was the first big decision for Blues co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital made after taking over from previous owner Roman Abramovich.

The news comes despite the 29-year-old's struggles at the San Siro this season, where persistent injury problems (ankle and hamstring) have limited him to just five games in all competitions, yielding two goals.

Former Inter president Massimo Moratti said on journalist Gian Luca Rossi's YouTube channel last week: 'A big rip-off... He has practically never played.'

The 103-cap international has only played 256 minutes of competitive football since returning to the Nerazzurri, with suggestions the club's medical staff are 'shocked and alarmed' at the sudden vulnerability of his previously strong physical condition.

It is a far cry from the magnificent two-year spell from 2019-2021, when he netted 64 goals in 95 games for Inter, the kind of form that persuaded Chelsea to part with nearly nine figures for his signature.

In a 10-minute cameo for Roberto Martinez' men at the World Cup during a 2-0 loss against Morocco on Sunday, he only touched the ball three times and failed to record a single shot.