Inter are believed to have placed a price tag of 120 million euros on the reported Chelsea and Manchester City goal Romelu Lukaku, among claims that they will consider selling “one or two top players” at the end of the season.
The Nerazzurri are currently top of the Serie A table and are six points away from their nearest rivals AC Milan with a game in hand, which means it is likely – if a complete meltdown is blocked – they will end their 11-year title drought .
Conte is on track to win the Serie A title with Inter | Soccrates Images / Getty Images
The boss Antonio Conte has finally assembled the squad that he wanted to challenge Juventus’ dominance in Italy, but Inter may now be forced to take a step back due to the ongoing effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the economy.
The parent company, which owns Inter, was forced to close down the Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning just two years after they won the championship, and it is believed that cash must also be collected in the world fashion capital.
According to Corriere Dello Sport, it can start as soon as the current campaign ends – with the club wanting to balance their books before the end of the financial year. Inter currently look to announce losses of between € 120 million and € 140 million, with the absence of fans at the stadium a major part of the problem for clubs across Europe.
As a result, Inter were able to make money on their success this season by selling one or two top players, including top scorer Lukaku. Reports have shown that the Belgian all-time top scorer is linked to a move back to England, and Corriere says that Inter have set the 27-year-old’s asking price at 120 million euros.
PSG have agreed an agreement with Inter to sign Mauro Icardi for initially 50 million euros, according to Sky Italy? pic.twitter.com/Wslh4mcW6Y
Goal (@goal) May 29, 2020
The club did something similar last year and then sold captain Mauro Icardi to Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth up to 58 million euros – which reduced its losses for the year to just over 100 million euros.
Lukaku’s high price tag is designed to ward off interested people who are not serious about making an offer, but is also a tempting amount of money that would make a sale appealing.
Strike partner Lautaro Martinez was in a similar boat to the Belgian last summer, but his long-running move to Barcelona fell through – the Catalan giants are in a serious economic battle by themselves – and it is more likely that he will now stay and pen healthy conditions.
Lukaku has been a revelation at Inter | Jonathan Moscrop / Getty Images
As for Lukaku, there is very little indication that he wants to leave Inter for new pastures. In fact, he has talked a lot about his time at the club, where he has revived his reputation as one of the deadliest strikers in Europe. He may not have a choice in the matter, but Inter would receive an offer that is too good to refuse.
