Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku is pushing for a return to his former club Inter Milan after a public fallout with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reported.
As per the publication, the 28-year-old is desperate to leave Chelsea and even willing to take a pay-cut in order to ease Inter's financial strain because the Serie A side can hardly afford his massive wages.
Lukaku returned to Chelsea last summer in a deal worth $131 million, but has grown frustrated with the Blues after admitting in a controversial interview in January that he wasn't happy at the club, before criticising Tuchel's tactics and his handling of him.
Lukaku's remarks led to his sacking from Chelsea's starting XI. Eventually, he was forced to issue an apology and make peace with Tuchel.
But since then, he has struggled with rhythm in matches, with his worst performance coming against Crystal Palace during the weekend.
While Tuchel's boys somehow managed to trump their opponents 1-0, Lukaku registered just seven touches on the ball, the lowest for a footballer in the Premier League since 2003.
Once again, it was Tuchel whose response after Lukaku's poor display fuelled rumours of a rift between the duo, as he declared that he didn't know how to get his star striker back in form.
Ex-Irish footballer, Tony Cascarino, who played for the Premier League side during the 1990s, gave more fire to the speculation as he claimed that Lukaku wasn't highly rated by Tuchel and his departure from the club isn't considered as a loss by the 48-year-old German head coach.
"My gut feeling is Romelu really knows, and this happens a lot in football, the manager doesn't fancy him", Cascarino told British publication talkSport after Chelsea's win over Palace on Saturday.
On the other hand, Lukaku has always enjoyed his time at Inter. In fact, his 24 goals were central to their successful campaign in the Serie A after the San Siro-based outfit ended Juventus' nine-year stranglehold in Italy's top flight.
As per the publication, the 28-year-old is desperate to leave Chelsea and even willing to take a pay-cut in order to ease Inter's financial strain because the Serie A side can hardly afford his massive wages.
Lukaku returned to Chelsea last summer in a deal worth $131 million, but has grown frustrated with the Blues after admitting in a controversial interview in January that he wasn't happy at the club, before criticising Tuchel's tactics and his handling of him.
Lukaku's remarks led to his sacking from Chelsea's starting XI. Eventually, he was forced to issue an apology and make peace with Tuchel.
But since then, he has struggled with rhythm in matches, with his worst performance coming against Crystal Palace during the weekend.
While Tuchel's boys somehow managed to trump their opponents 1-0, Lukaku registered just seven touches on the ball, the lowest for a footballer in the Premier League since 2003.
Once again, it was Tuchel whose response after Lukaku's poor display fuelled rumours of a rift between the duo, as he declared that he didn't know how to get his star striker back in form.
Ex-Irish footballer, Tony Cascarino, who played for the Premier League side during the 1990s, gave more fire to the speculation as he claimed that Lukaku wasn't highly rated by Tuchel and his departure from the club isn't considered as a loss by the 48-year-old German head coach.
"My gut feeling is Romelu really knows, and this happens a lot in football, the manager doesn't fancy him", Cascarino told British publication talkSport after Chelsea's win over Palace on Saturday.
On the other hand, Lukaku has always enjoyed his time at Inter. In fact, his 24 goals were central to their successful campaign in the Serie A after the San Siro-based outfit ended Juventus' nine-year stranglehold in Italy's top flight.