CHELSEA striker Romelu Lukaku is prepared to end his misery in London by taking a huge pay cut to return to Inter Milan.
The Belgian moved for £97.5million in the summer, but has failed to hit the same heights he did when he lead Inter to Serie A glory last season.
After a strong start, Lukaku ended the league season on just eight goals, failing to be the answer to Thomas Tuchel’s ongoing striker woes.
And now it looks like the partnership may be about to come to an end, with it being rumoured that the 29-year-old may be willing to take a pay cut to push the move through.
According to the Daily Mail, the Italian club believe the forward will accept a salary similar to the one he was earning in Milan.
This would see the Belgium international’s weekly wage drop to about £125,000 a week, down by nearly £3m from his earnings in West London.
A move back to the Italian capital has been rumoured since the beginning of the year.
A bombshell interview midway through the season saw Lukaku say: “I know I will return to Inter, I really hope so.”
That saw many Blues fans turn their backs on their record signing, with the relationship seemingly fractured as ever.
The departure of Lukaku could be the catalyst for the new era at Stamford Bridge, as the club enter their first season in two decades under new ownership.
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A consortium lead by Todd Boehly will be taking over duties from Roman Abramovich, with the American already discussing plans for the future with manager Tuchel.
Chelsea are already linked with a number of striking options for next season, with the club reportedly interested in Lautaro Martinez, Richarlison and Robert Lewandowski.
As well as new options, Tuchel was keen in the second half of the season to try and develop Kai Havertz into the striker role, which showed signs of promise in the middle part of the campaign.