Italian journalist Sandro Sabatini believes that striker Romelu Lukaku made the decision to leave Inter in the summer when the Nerazzurri wouldn’t offer him a new contract to dissuade him from joining Chelsea.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset, Sabatini suggested that the Belgian would have considered staying, but only if the Nerazzurri had handed him a new deal to keep him from accepting the Blues’ offer.

Chelsea moved quickly to sign Lukaku from Inter during the summer transfer window, putting forward both a massive transfer fee to Inter, and a significant wage increase in the Belgian.

In the end, the 28-year-old decided to accept their offer and make the switch to the Premier League, though in a candid recent interview he stated that he feels significant regret over having left Inter.

The striker also referenced having failed to agree on a contract extension with the Nerazzurri having been a part of his decision during the interview, and Sabatini believes this was key for him.

“There is a detail that needs to be made clear,” he stated, “[Lukaku] talks about a failed contract renewal with Inter. And then it turns out that he had asked the club for a further increase in his salary, a request which was turned down.”

“This was taken as a cue to accept Chelsea’s offer which was close to €120 million,” he went on. “Chelsea have already made it known to the player and his entourage that they do not accept the idea that the player can go out and play on loan even for a few months. Any idea of an Inter return is destined to amount to nothing.”

On the contract talks between Inter and Marcelo Brozovic, he stated that “We will know more starting on January 7.”

And on the situation with Ivan Perisic, whose current contract is expiring at the end of June 2022, he stated that “Perisic won’t be dealt with until February, so that the player will have a clear idea of the other offers as now he could already agree with other clubs.”