Inter Milan president Steven Zhang has hinted that he plans to try to keep Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku at San Siro.
A year after selling the Belgium international for a fee in the region of £97.5m, Inter were able to capitalise on the player's unhappiness at Chelsea to re-sign him on loan.
That has delivered mixed success, the 30-year-old missing the majority of the first half of the campaign due to a number of injuries, yet his fortunes improved after the mid-season World Cup.
By the end of 2022-23, Lukaku has chipped in with 14 goals and seven assists from 37 appearances, with many of them coming from the substitutes' bench like in Saturday's Champions League final against Manchester City.
Inter ultimately lost that game by a 1-0 scoreline, Lukaku combining to squander opportunities and get in the way of others during his time on the pitch as a replacement.
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Nevertheless, there is likely to be a desire for Simone Inzaghi to retain the services of Lukaku if a deal is able to be reached with Chelsea, who are open to offers.
After the showpiece event in Istanbul, Zhang commented on the scenario in front of Inter, suggesting that he would like to see Lukaku stay at San Siro.
As quoted by the Evening Standard, Zhang said: "Romelu loves Inter, that's very clear. He's great guy but he's under contract at Chelsea.
"We have to wait and speak to Chelsea to make Lukaku's future clear".
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Lukaku has three years left on his contract at Chelsea, but there will not be any chance of a renewal in the future unless the player has a change of heart about where his future lies.
Inter are not in a position where they are able to pay a fee that will meet Chelsea's expectations in order to part ways with Lukaku on a permanent basis.
As a result, another straight loan fee and paying Lukaku's wages in their entirety appears the most likely solution, yet Chelsea may use Lukaku in any proposal for an Inter player.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana is known to be on Chelsea's wishlist, although it remains unclear whether Inter would be prepared to sacrifice a considerable chunk of any transfer fee for their star stopper to acquire Lukaku on a permanent deal.
Darren Plant
