"It's no coincidence" - Inter Milan CEO makes bold claims as they eye Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku

Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta has opened up about striker Romelu Lukaku's situation at Chelsea.

The Belgian striker's season-long spell with Inter ended on June 30. He's now set to return to Stamford Bridge, but reports suggest that both Lukaku and the Blues want to part ways.

Inter are interested in signing him permanently but as per Marotta, the transfer fee has to be right. Chelsea signed Lukaku from the Nerazzurri in 2021 for a big fee of around €115 million. The Inter CEO, though, referenced offers from Saudi Arabia for the striker of around €50 million this summer.

“Chelsea must decide what they will do with him. It’s normal that they can’t put him on the market and expect large fees. It’s no coincidence the offer from Saudi Arabia for Lukaku was around €50m," Marotta said (via Fabrizio Romano)

Lukaku, 30, had a tough 2022-23 season, having had to deal with multiple injury issues. He still scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 37 games across competitions.

However, the Belgian's performance in Inter's UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City drew immense criticism. Coming on as a substitute, he missed a glorious chance to make the level the scores as the Nerazzurri lost 1-0.

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Chelsea closing in on Moises Caicedo

As per Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, Chelsea have advanced in talks with Brighton & Hove Albion for the transfer of Moises Caicedo this summer.

The Blues have parted ways with a few midfielders recently. Mateo Kovacic has moved to Manchester City, N'Golo Kante to Al-Ittihad and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to AC Milan. Mason Mount is also set to join Manchester United (via transfer expert Fabrizio Romano).

Hence, the west London side are looking to bring in more midfielders to partner Enzo Fernandez. They now seem to be getting closer to signing Moises Caicedo, as per Rudy Galellti, who tweeted:

"Moises #Caicedo, the talks between #Chelsea and #Brighton are entering in the final stage. Understand the 2 clubs agreed the fixed amount of the transfer (~£75m), and, now, they are discussing the add-ons. Moises is keen to join #CFC, and he’s pushing for the move."

Caicedo, 21, was excellent for Brighton last campaign, his first full season with the club. He played as a defensive or a central midfielder and also at times, as a right-back, making 43 appearances across competitions. He helped the Seagulls qualify for the UEFA Europa League for the first time.