Romelu Lukaku is close to sealing a return to Inter Milan this summer after a loan deal was reportedly agreed with Chelsea for the 2022-23 campaign and new owner Todd Boehly was apparently instrumental in the process.
The Belgian was signed from Inter for a club-record £97 million last summer but has been an emphatic failure for the Blues with Lukaku scoring just eight goals in the Premier League since his return. An ill-judged interview with Sky Italia, released around the turn of the year, saw the striker admit that he would have preferred to stay in Italy and his relationship with Thomas Tuchel and supporters slowly soured in the remaining weeks of the season.
According to a report from The Athletic Inter Milan will pay €8 million (£6.8 million) in loan fees to take Lukaku back to the San Siro for the season. Terms regarding how his salary will be paid have also been agreed while Inter will have no obligation to buy the player at the end of the deal.
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But also included in the report was an interesting detail on just how the move was pushed through. Boehly's consortium won a hard-fought race to take over ownership of the Blues from Roman Abramovich and the American billionaire's connections were crucial in the loan agreement.
Boehly reportedly holds a close relationship with Michael Yormack, president of Roc Nation, the company that represents Lukaku. The Athletic report that it was a connection that proved key to the deal going through.
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