Romelu Lukaku has been left in limbo after Inter Milan pulled out of the race to sign the want-away Chelsea striker.
Lukaku had been strongly linked with a permanent move to the San Siro after spending last season on loan there.
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But Inter are furious after discovering advisers working on behalf of Lukaku had held secret talks with Juventus.
Instead, Juventus are now leading the race for the striker’s signature while Lukaku is desperate to leave Chelsea this summer.
However, Juve need to sell Dusan Vlahovic to finance a move for Lukaku, meaning the Belgian may now be forced to return for pre-season with Chelsea.
Lukaku has already turned down a move to Saudi Arabia and Chelsea gave him an extended summer break to seal a future away from Stamford Bridge.
The former Manchester United star infamously burned his bridges at Chelsea by giving an unsanctioned interview to Sky Italia just months after signing in 2021.
In it, he said he was desperate to return to Inter Milan which infuriated Blues fans.
But in another section, he included a promise to never sign for Juventus.
The 30-year-old said: “If Juventus or AC Milan will call me in the future? Never, never.
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“Again, never. It’s never gonna happen.
“Juventus wanted me before Inter, but when Conte joined Inter it was my priority to join them. In Italy, there’s only Inter for me.”
The Blues had demanded €40million (£34.3m) for the Belgian this transfer window, despite signing him for £97m just two years ago.
And Inter were prepared to pay £26m before Juventus became interested with reports they were happy to stump up the asking price.
They were also willing to pay Lukaku more in wages than Inter Milan, leading to a limbo situation between all three clubs.
The Nerazzurri then could not get hold of Lukaku, which left the club ‘annoyed’ and ‘deeply disappointed’ by his behaviour, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
And now they have taken the sensational step to pull out of negotiations altogether, meaning that a return to Inter Milan for Lukaku is now off the cards.
Juventus have ramped up their efforts to sign Lukaku as a potential Dusan Vlahovic replacement.
The Serbia international has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Chelsea.
