"We know that" - Inter Milan CEO highlights plan for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku

Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta hinted at a possible extension of Romelu Lukaku's loan deal from Chelsea when his current term expires in June.

The Belgian striker made a sensational return to the San Siro in the summer, just over a year after leaving for Stamford Bridge in a record £97.5 million transfer. However, injuries have limited his time on the field so far and he has made only five appearances in all competitions before the mid-season break for the FIFA World Cup.

Despite his injury struggles, there were rumors that Inter were keen to extend his loan deal for another season and Marotta has now hinted at the same.

“We know that Romelu loves Inter, he loves the club. We can feel that. He’s motivated to do great things, he’s working to be back in good form as soon as possible,” he told Sky Sports, via Fabrizio Romano.

Lukaku joined Inter for the first time in 2019 from Manchester United, and in two seasons he scored 64 goals across 95 games, winning the Serie A title in his second year.

Chelsea came calling for his services last year and he returned to London for a second spell with the Blues, 10 years after his first. Unlike his previous stint where he struggled for game time, Lukaku became the focal point for the Blues attack last season, finishing the campaign with a squad-high 15 goals in 44 games.

However, the 29-year-old struggled to fully adapt to Thomas Tuchel's style of play while also seeing a breakdown in relations with the then-Chelsea manager following an explosive interview in January.

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Chelsea struggling in attack once more

One of Chelsea's biggest issues of the last decade has been the lack of a prolific striker, with Diego Costa being the exception.

Romelu Lukaku's arrival was thought to have been the panacea to their woes after their Timo Werner experiment also failed, but with the Belgian struggling to hit his best form too, both ended up leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer.

The Blues have now paid the price for being unable to adequately reinforce their attack, scoring only 17 goals in 14 Premier League games, the lowest of any team residing in the top half of the standings.

Graham Potter's team went into the break on the back of three consecutive defeats in all competitions while also failing to score in all of them as their misfiring frontline has once again been a big issue.