Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel would consider letting Romelu Lukaku go if it allowed him to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer, claims journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The 29-year-old's return to Stamford Bridge has not gone to plan and he is now being linked with a move back to Inter Milan.

What is the latest news involving Lukaku?

According to the Daily Mail, Inter are exploring the possibility of bringing Lukaku back to the San Siro a year after selling him to Chelsea for £97.5m.

The same outlet also states that the striker is willing to take a massive pay cut, showing how much he wants this transfer to happen.

It comes as no surprise, with Lukaku telling Sky Italia at the end of last year that he wants to play for the Serie A side again.

During his time there, the Belgian scored 64 goals in 95 games, winning the Scudetto in the process.

Lukaku is WORLD CLASS! It's all Tuchel's fault! Hear why on The Football Terrace...

What has O'Rourke said about Lukaku's Chelsea future?

Unfortunately, at Chelsea, he has not been able to replicate his Inter form for various reasons, scoring just eight league goals in the recently-concluded season.

O'Rourke now expects Tuchel to let him go if a good offer comes in. On the Belgium international, the journalist told GIVEMESPORT: "This summer, Lukaku's future is going to be up in the air, and I think Thomas Tuchel, if he got the right offer, I think he would seriously consider letting Lukaku move on if it allowed him to bring in other forward reinforcements."

Who could replace Lukaku at Chelsea?

Ironically, Chelsea could return to Inter again this summer to solve this striker nightmare they have found themselves in.

As per The Athletic, the Blues are considering making a move for Lukaku's former team-mate Lautaro Martinez, who managed to score 21 times in the 2021/22 Serie A season.

As well as the Argentine, Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski is another forward thought to be of interest, with The Guardian claiming that he is on the west London club's radar.

However, with Bayern putting up a fight to keep hold of him, while the 33-year-old is said to favour a move to Barcelona, a switch to Stamford Bridge does not seem to be on the table.

It is certainly going to be interesting to see if Chelsea do buy a new striker, but that is probably going to hinge on what happens with Lukaku, who is currently valued at £76.5m by Transfermarkt.

They are not going to get their £97m back after the season he has had, so you suspect that there is going to have to be a compromise if he is to leave this summer.