Inter Milan are waiting to complete a deal to sell Andre Onana before they move decisively for Romelu Lukaku.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who report that the Nerazzurri’s plan is still to get a big money sale of the Cameroonian to Manchester United over the line and then move for the Chelsea striker.
Inter want to get things moving to bring Lukaku back for next season after several weeks of talks with Chelsea stalling.
Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi considers having the Belgian available next season to be a priority.
The Gazzetta note that Inter do not really even have serious alternatives to Lukaku. Their reported interest in Alvaro Morata never got far.
For Inter, it is essentially Lukaku or nothing.
And there are many factors playing in favour of Inter signing Lukaku back again.
Chief among them are the insistence of the player himself. Lukaku has rejected a massive money offer from Al-Hilal and will in fact accept a pay cut to stay at Inter.
But Inter must do their bit. The Nerazzurri are now forced to finally make Chelsea an offer that the English team do not reject.
Inter Aiming To Sell Onana Then Move For Lukaku
Inter’s strategy to finally make a deal with Chelsea is to offer a loan deal with a purchase obligation.
The Nerazzurri will offer around €30 million for the fee on the purchase obligation. Chelsea will naturally aim for higher, but Inter hope that the Blues’ desire to get rid of a problem player pushes them to cooperate.
Even at such a discounted fee, and with the delay of payment, this would be a big financial commitment for Inter, however.
Accordingly, selling Andre Onana to Man United could be the trigger for Inter to finally move.
The Red Devils have made Inter an initial offer of around €40 million plus €5 million in add-ons. The Nerazzurri are still holding out for far more – around €60 million.
However, Inter expect United to return with an improved bid. And, if it gets high enough, the Nerazurri would accept.
Then, they could get on with other transfer business. And the first piece would be to finally confirm Lukaku’s future.
Then, the Nerazzurri would also be ready to move for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Anatoliy Trubin as Onana’s replacement, according to the Gazzetta.