Chelsea have told Romelu Lukaku that they are not accepting any loan offer for the Belgian any longer.
The Belgium international spent last season on loan at Inter Milan and was willing to remain at the Italian side but the Blues are holding out for an outright sale, the UK Sun reports.
Chelsea’s owner, Todd Boehly was said to be willing to sell the former Everton and Manchester United man to one of the big spenders in Saudi Arabia but the player is not willing to make the move.
Lukaku now faces the possibility of staying at Stamford Bridge and fighting for his place under incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Lukaku was signed from Inter Milan in a £98million deal in the summer of 2021 but he failed to live up to the billing.
After giving an explosive interview revealing his desire to return to Inter, the forward was increasingly sidelined by ex-head coach Thomas Tuchel, before his wish was granted.
Whilst the season was an uneven one, the 30-year-old ended the term with a run of much-improved form.
However, Chelsea will not entertain another loan for their player, and instead give him the option of staying or going.
Pochettino – who will start work in west London on July 1 – is thought to be considering how to integrate Lukaku into his plans and there is a belief that the Argentine manager could help bring out the best in his forward, as he did with Tottenham’s talismanic No 9, Harry Kane.
