What does the future hold for Chelsea’s £98m record signing Romelu Lukaku?

Of the £98m spent on Romelu Lukaku by Chelsea, they’d be lucky to recover a third of that if they were to try and sell him right now. 

The Premier League club, and Inter Milan, both have a huge problem due to the failure of his move back to Italy along with the fact the Belgium striker experienced a disastrous World Cup. 

His failure in Qatar with Belgium perfectly captured all of Lukaku’s limits – he seems exhausted and he no longer has the power or durability of two years ago. 

Lukaku is also no longer as technically sound as he was, exemplified by the three big chances he missed during their decisive group game with Croatia.

Lukaku was once a ‘wolf’ but he has turned into a ‘shy lamb’ who is anonymous on the pitch and struggles to deal with the physical impact of training.

He is a shadow of his former self and his tears after Belgium’s embarrassing group stage exit shows he feels responsible for his lack of impact on the pitch.

Lukaku’s World Cup ended with his mistakes on the pitch and his tears in the arms of Thierry Henry.

Right now, Belgium’s No 9 is experiencing the toughest moment of his career.

His injury struggles are undeniable but he has been consistently poor throughout 2022 with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Belgium.

Lukaku missed several massive chances during Belgium’s decisive group game with Croatia

Lukaku was in tears after they exited the World Cup and was embraced by Thierry Henry

After his World Cup exit tears, Lukaku is desperate to return to being a star man in Seria A. 

At the moment Inter are very disappointed with his performances on the pitch but will take advantage of his poor form to ask Chelsea to extend his loan for another 12 months.

Initially the agreement when he returned to Italy provided for a purchase in the summer of 2023 but his poor performances convinced Inter to hold tight and postpone any decision on his future for another 12 months.

Below, Sportsmail takes a look at the key factors impacting Lukaku’s current form and weigh up what the future may hold for the Chelsea loanee. 

UNDER PRESSURE TO IMPRESS

When Lukaku returned to Inter for the second time, he chose the No 90 shirt which in the Neapolitan cabala means “fear”. 

Right now, the former Chelsea striker fears he has made the wrong decision with several career choices, including his decision to split from Antonio Conte. 

In his long career, Lukaku has managed to play to his full potential only with the Italian coach, failing to replicate that form in almost every other team he has played for.

Lukaku is popular at Inter Milan after his first spell, but he has failed to impress this season

With Inter this season he has played only four times in Serie A, scoring just once.

That is not enough for the highest-paid player in the league.

He has played just once in the Champions League, scoring once and the next few months will be crucial in understanding the real value of a player who arrived at Inter’s training camp weighing more than 100kg in the summer.

INZAGHI’S 3-5-2 AND DZEKO’S PRESENCE DON’T HELP

The drop in performance of Lukaku has been evident and his dominance during his first spell with Inter was helped by the poor standard of Serie A. 

His second Italian experience in the top flight shows a player in physical and technical decline, unable to dislodge 36-year-old Edin Dzeko in Inter’s front-line.

He scored 47 goals in 72 league games in an exceptional first spell with Inter under the tutelage of Conte.

But recently, Lukaku has spent more time on the sideline due to injury.

Simone Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 formation doesn’t help to bring the best out of Lukaku, but his lack of form and fitness are the main reasons for his struggles on his return to Inter.

The 3-5-2 formation of Inter coach Simone Inzaghi doesn’t help to bring the best out of Lukaku

Lukaku has also been unable to dislodge Edin Dzeko, 36, from Inter’s starting line-up in attack

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH LUKAKU’S FUTURE?

According to Dazn, Inter would like to renew Lukaku’s loan at a discounted price compared to the £9.6m loan fee paid to bring him back to Italy in the summer. 

However, Chelsea do not want to raise their salary contribution for a player who betrayed the dressing room and caused the club to waste a fortune.

The negotiations for Lukaku’s future will be very long and painful for both clubs. 

Both regret signing the forward and are looking for an agreement to limit the economic damage.

Surely Inter and Chelsea will find a solution but a stalemate can’t be ruled out.

Lukaku is still officially a Chelsea player, and the Blues are keen to limit the economic damage of their record signing when he eventually parts ways with the club

At Inter’s Christmas party, CEO Beppe Marotta spoke clearly about Lukaku’s future, as reported by Corriere dello Sport. 

Marotta said: ‘Romelu is a player who loves Inter and we’ve understood this for some time. However, we expect something important from him. 

‘He is struggling with this muscular discomfort but I think he is healed, now he must find the best physical condition.’