Chelsea could gift Arsenal huge £50m windfall after dramatic transfer U-turn

Romelu Lukaku has been heavily linked with a return to Juventus recently after the Belgian controversially snubbed Inter Milan

Lukaku, who sees his contract at at Stamford Bridge expire in 2026, featured 25 times for the Nerazzurri in the Serie A last term, scoring ten goals. The Belgium international suffered numerous injuries at the start of the season but, once he got into his groove, he quickly built a head of steam.

However, he didn't exactly cover himself in glory in the Champions League final after denying Inter a brilliant chance to equalise in the dying embers of the tie. Despite fears that Lukaku may have tarnished his reputation at the club, the Italian giants remained eager to secure his signature on a permanent basis.

"But for now he’s a Chelsea player. The dialogue remains open. They don’t want to send the player on loan. They said we must buy him. So we are now evaluating whether there is a possibility to sign him outright.

"I don’t like talking about priorities," added Ausilio. "Lukaku knows very well that we want to bring him back here. Let’s see if we can find a solution."

Understandably so, Lukaku once looked destined to return Inter – especially seeing as the striker previously rejected a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian club to force a move back to the San Siro. However, according to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Nerazzurri has pulled out of the race to sign him after learning that he's been entertaining talks with Juventus behind their back.

The report states that Ausilio informed Lukaku of Inter's decision in a 30-second phone call on Friday. The Belgian's decision to pursue a move to the Old Lady comes as a major blow for Simone Inzaghi's side, who – like others – have already begun pre-season training.