Inter Milan are set to increase their offer for to around £35m in the coming days.
The 30-year-old spent last season on loan at the San Siro and the Italians are keen on signing him on a permanent basis.
Lukaku left Inter for Chelsea in 2021 for a fee of £97.5m but he endured a miserable campaign at Stamford Bridge and was sent back on loan to the San Siro just 12 months later.
The Belgium ace is due to return to training on Wednesday but has no intention of returning to as he wants to complete a permanent move to Inter.
Inter’s opening bid for Lukaku was rejected immediately, with Chelsea feeling the Italian’s £23m offer was derisory.
But the cash-strapped Serie A giants are expected to return with an improved bid for Lukaku this week, with the reporting that a second offer will be worth around £35m.
The offer, which is £25m upfront and a further £10m in add-ons, falls short of Chelsea’s asking price but there’s confidence a deal can be reached.
Inter are waiting for a deal to be agreed with Manchester United for Andre Onana before sanctioning a move for Lukaku.
Onana has already agreed personal terms with the Red Devils and is just waiting for a fee to be agreed between the two clubs before flying to the UK for a medical.
Chelsea have already raised around £160m in the transfer market this summer through player sales.
The club needed to raise significant cash in order to balance the £600m that they’ve spent across the last two windows.
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