Romelu Lukaku unhappy with 'second-string status' and wants to quit Chelsea this summer - Reports

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku reportedly wants to leave the club this summer.

The 28-year-old striker rejoined the Blues last summer in a £97 million move from Inter Milan, making him the most expensive signing in the club's history.

Football Insider reports that the Belgian is unhappy at the club having been dropped by Thomas Tuchel in recent months.

Lukaku has encountered a troublesome time at Chelsea both on and off the field ever since his huge transfer.

Having started brightly under Tuchel, his form fell off subsequently and in December the Belgian striker criticized the German manager's system in a controversial Sky Italia interview.

He also hinted at his desire to return to Inter Milan whilst apologizing to their fans, just four months after having departed in unceremonious circumstances.

Tuchel has reportedly had issues with the way in which the forward has conducted himself and his fitness levels have also reportedly not been up to the former PSG manager's expectations.

Lukaku was subsequently given a fine and a one-game ban for his actions, for which he later apologised.

The former Manchester United striker's deal with Tuchel's side runs until 2026 but the Belgian seemingly wants to cut his stay short.

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Where has it gone wrong for Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea?

Lukaku scored on the weekend

Romelu Lukaku's move to Stamford Bridge was seen as the last piece of the Blues' puzzle to have a squad able to fight on all fronts under Thomas Tuchel.

His impressive two-year stint at Inter Milan saw him boasting the goalscoring acumen that Chelsea had perhaps been lacking.

He has scored 64 goals in 95 appearances for the Serie A side and was instrumental in the side winning the league title in 2021.

All the signs were there that the west London club were picking up a world-class talent at the peak of his powers.

But the polar opposite has occurred, with Lukaku becoming a problem at Chelsea.

Having let go of the opportunity to target Borussia Dortmund hitman Erling Haaland, Tuchel instead brought in Lukaku.

That decision may have come back to haunt them as they now sit in a position of having to potentially offload a striker who is out of form.

For the Blues, Lukaku has scored 12 goals in 34 appearances this season.

He has cut a frustrated figure on numerous occasions and his performance against Crystal Palace back in February set the record for the least amount of touches by a player in an EPL game.

The striker obviously desires a return to the San Siro but there are a huge number of stumbling blocks.

None more so than the fact that Inter have financial issues that led to the Belgian's departure last summer.

Alongside this is the fact that the striker is not performing at a level that will perhaps want suitors to bid an amount close to what Chelsea will likely require.