Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku would only be able to leave the club on a loan deal this summer, with a “normalised salary” funded by Chelsea, La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports.

Inter Milan are believed to be exploring the option of bringing the Belgian back to the San Siro ahead of next season.

Since his £97.5 million move from Inter, Lukaku has struggled to adapt to Thomas Tuchel’s tactical set-up at Chelsea and has found himself on the periphery of the squad in recent months.

Despite his desire to return to Italy, Lukaku would only be able to rejoin Inter on a loan basis.

The Nerazzurri would need Chelsea to agree on what Gazzetta calls a "normalised salary".

Lukaku’s current salary of £325,000 per week, accumulating to £16.9 million a year, is a massive hurdle in sealing a deal with Inter – whose financial situation would not allow them to meet those figures.

The change of ownership at Stamford Bridge from Roman Abramovich to Todd Boehly’s consortium could also lead to substantial changes in the situation, with Marina Granovskaia looking set to receive a mandate over the Blues until September.