Chelsea are in negotiations with Inter Milan over the future of Romelu Lukaku, but any player swap deals are reportedly 'off the table'.
Lukaku has made his intentions clear this summer and will only pursue a return to the San Siro after a difficult season last term. The Belgian striker joined the Blues last summer for a club-record deal of £100million, but struggled to perform under Thomas Tuchel after scoring just 15 goals in 44 appearances.
Inter are currently discussing the possibility of bringing Lukaku back to the Serie A on a loan deal next season. Chelsea have been linked with the likes of Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Denzel Dumfries as the Blues looked to strike a player-swap deal for the Belgian, but reports suggest this will not happen and any move for Inter players will need to be negotiated separately to the Lukaku deal.
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According to reports from Italy, Tuchel is 'obsessed' with Inter's Denzel Dumfries and the Blues are set to hold negotiations for the Dutch defender next week. Corriere Dello Sport reported that a swap deal for Lukaku is 'off the table' now and any potential transfers between the two clubs will be dealt with separately.
Gazzetta Dello Sport reported this week that Chelsea have identified Dumfries as an 'interesting player' with Tuchel being a fan of the 26-year-old, stating there are ‘especially’ interested in the full-back. Marcos Alonso's future at the club remains in doubt and the club still lacks a quality back-up for Reece James should the England international get injured again.
Dumfries has become Tuchel's 'obsession' according to Sport Mediaset with the Netherlands international standing out above other defensive targets. The Italian outfit could be willing to let Dumfries leave for the right price, with Inter asking for a fee in the region of £40million.
