AC Milan could apparently attempt to pull off a surprise hijacking of Inter Milan's move for Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.
Having failed to reacclimatise to life back in the Premier League with Chelsea, Lukaku was shipped out to the Nerazzurri on loan for 2022-23 after admitting that he was pining for a return to Milan.
Despite a few injury problems, the 30-year-old fared slightly better in Italy with 14 goals and seven assists in 37 appearances across all tournaments, ending the season strongly with seven goals and four assists in Inter's final eight Serie A matches.
Lukaku did not start a single Champions League game during Inter's run to the final, though, with Lautaro Martinez and Fenerbahce-bound Edin Dzeko preferred by Simone Inzaghi.
Given their long-running financial problems, the Nerazzurri could not afford to bring Lukaku back to San Siro permanently last year, and his loan move did not include an option or obligation to buy.
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The Belgium international is therefore due to return to Stamford Bridge at the end of the month, but he is believed to be keen to remain with Inter, despite failing to hit the same goalscoring heights from his first spell in Milan.
However, in a shock turn of events, La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Inter's bitter rivals AC Milan have now expressed an interest in signing Lukaku from under the Nerazzurri's noses.
The report states that the Rossoneri could try for a permanent deal for the striker, which would immediately give them an edge over Inter, who are only willing to sanction another loan deal at present.
With Sandro Tonali on the verge of a €70m (£60.2m) move to Newcastle United, Milan have supposedly stated that they are willing to go as high as €40m (£34.4m) to sign Lukaku, who remains under contract at Chelsea until the end of the 2025-26 season.
With the Blues determined to rid themselves of the striker, they will accept a significant loss on the £97.5m they shelled out for him in 2021, as Milan prepare for life without the now-retired Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
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Furthermore, Olivier Giroud turns 37 in December and is only under contract for another year, while Divock Origi netted just two goals in his debut season after arriving from Liverpool.
Milan were originally thought to have been in pole position to sign Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram on a free transfer, but the Frenchman is now expected to join Inter, which could open the door for the Rossoneri to make a move for Lukaku.
The former Everton and Manchester United man boasts a total of 15 goals and three assists from 59 matches for Chelsea and is also believed to be on the wishlists of teams in Saudi Arabia, but he has no interest in leaving Europe at this point in his career.
However, Lukaku seemingly has no place at Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino, who has already welcomed Christopher Nkunku to the club from RB Leipzig, while a move for Villarreal's Nicolas Jackson is also close to completion.
Lukaku's fellow strikers Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are also in the departure lounge, with the former set to undergo his medical with Arsenal this weekend, while Aubameyang is also on the radar of Saudi Pro League teams but is alleged to be stalling over an exit.
Ben Knapton
