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By Martin Graham | 3rd Jan 2023

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is on loan with Inter Milan after falling out with Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. Lukaku seems uninterested in a return to Stamford Bridge at the end of his loan spell and wants a permanent move.

Since the departure of Didier Drogba from Chelsea, the club has had issues with strikers. The Blues have not had a striker who comes close to the Ivorian marksman. Despite winning several trophies after the departure of the legendary Ivorian, the club has still craved a formidable striker.

Diego Costa, Olivier Giroud, Timo Werner, Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku are some of the names to have tried to live up to the legendary status of the Ivorian. Though some of them cannot be said to be failures, the shoes of Drogba have been too big for them.

Romelu Lukaku arrived at Stamford Bridge for the second time with the reputation of the new Drogba. However, the Belgian striker has struggled to live up to the expectations of many fans. Not entirely his fault, but things did not go to script for him, and his falling out with former manager Thomas Tuchel led to a temporary departure from the club. The Belgian striker wants to make his loan move to Inter Milan permanent.

Lukaku wants to stay away from Chelsea for a lengthier period

If there is the hope of Lukaku returning to his parent club, it is slim. The Belgian wants to put the nightmares of his Chelsea sojourn behind him. According to recent reports, the Belgian striker prefers a stay at Inter Milan over a return to Chelsea.

Lukaku started the 2021-22 season with Chelsea in blistering fashion but could not continue with that form for the rest of the season.

Lukaku now claims that he will be allowed to remain at Inter Milan on a more long-term basis following discussions with owner Todd Boehly.

According to the Belgian, he wants to stay at Inter Milan in the future. He wants to continue with the Italian club and will speak with Chelsea to find solutions. Lukaku said he had discussions with Boehly about leaving Chelsea, and the American owner has permitted him.

The former Everton striker continued that Boehly agreed to let him leave the club after he told him the truth about his relationship with Tuchel.

A problematic relationship with Tuchel

It was a challenging period for Lukaku during his short stay at Chelsea. There were big expectations of him, but several factors limited his ability to deliver the goods.

One of the factors that worked against him was his relationship with the Chelsea manager at the time. The rapport with Tuchel became frosty and almost non-existent before leaving for Inter Milan on loan.

Their relationship came to a head after Lukaku had an interview with Sky Sports, where he spoke negatively about the German tactician. Lukaku has told Todd Boehly the truth about his time under Thomas Tuchel.

Lukaku found it arduous to nail down a regular spot in the Chelsea starting lineup after his Sky Sports interview. It felt like Tuchel was trying to get back at the Belgian for his negative description of him. It impacted his performance when the opportunity to play came.

Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on loan and wants to extend his stay with the Serie A giants. Injury has sidelined Lukaku for much of this season, but he hopes to return to his best once fully fit.

Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer

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