Tottenham have been handed a boost in their ambition to sign Romelu Lukaku with the on-loan Inter Milan star reportedly having zero intention of returning to Chelsea in 2023.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Belgian international has ruled out playing for Chelsea again after the attacker’s reported £98m move to the west London side last summer went as badly as one could imagine, with Lukaku failing to make much of an impact under Thomas Tuchel as the forward was loaned out to Inter this year.
With the striker already finding his feet again in Italy with Inter, there’s a strong chance that the Nerrazzuri could sign Lukaku once again on a permanent deal, however, Tottenham are also reportedly interested in the 29-year-old striker, with Antonio Conte winning the Serie A title with the Italian giants with the Belgian as his star player.
Whilst Lukaku’s spell at Chelsea and previously Manchester United all ended in failure, a move to Tottenham isn’t as far-fetched at first viewing, with the attacker an ideal player to potentially replace Harry Kane amid growing reports that Bayern Munich want to sign the England international.
Indeed, Inter still remain the favourites to sign Lukaku, of course, but Tottenham could well find themselves in the chase to land the Chelsea loanee if both Kane is sold and Conte is still manager of the club come the 2023 summer transfer window.
After all, the Italian manager has arguably been the coach to get the best out of Lukaku so far in his career, and Conte could play a big role in winning the race for Tottenham to sign the Inter superstar next year if a move becomes remotely plausible.
Tottenham will have to battle Inter hard to sign Kane
Lukaku is one of the world’s best strikers and a player who is unstoppable on his day and in a system that is tailored to his talents, and both Inter and Tottenham can provide just that, yet the Italian giants will be confident in winning the race to re-sign the attack for good next summer.
After all, whilst Tottenham could have the pulling power of Conte and a Kane-sized hole to fill, Inter has proven to be the perfect club for Lukaku during his three seasons at the San Siro, and this alone could be enough to see Spurs lose out on the Chelsea-owned superstar in the 2023 summer transfer market.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
