Pressure mounts on Inter not to sell Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, club President Zhang reconsiders decision

There are reports that Inter President Steven Zhang is reconsidering whether to sell Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea after intense pressure from fans and within the club.

The deal had seemed imminent as soon as Chelsea put forward a formal offer of €130m (circa £110.8m), which would make the Belgian the most expensive transfer out of Serie A in history.

However, reports emerged of tension within the club, as coach Simone Inzaghi, directors Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio are furious, the chiefs threatening to resign the moment the summer transfer window has closed.

Now La Gazzetta dello Sport are suggesting it’s getting to President Zhang, the chief representative of club owners Suning, and he is ready to potentially reconsider his position.

The most recent proposal of €100m plus Marcos Alonso was rejected, as they are waiting for €130m in cash.

However, balancing the books now would not resolve the situation if Inter then fail to qualify for the Champions League next season and that would be a very real risk without top scorer Lukaku.

He was also the symbol of the Scudetto victory and after losing coach Antonio Conte, Lukaku as well would effectively dismantle everything they built.

It has been said that Lukaku rejected the earlier Manchester City proposal, because at the time he still felt Inter had an ambitious project.

Although he has told the Nerazzurri hierarchy that he’d like to join Chelsea, it’s believed he would certainly not be unhappy to remain at San Siro, where he is hugely popular with fans and the media.