Chelsea eye Lautaro Martinez deal and could sanction Romelu Lukaku swap transfer

Chelsea could be prepared to sanction a swap deal that would see Romelu Lukaku return to Inter Milan. Lautaro Martinez is being eyed by the club to solve their striker problems.

Chelsea could accept a swap deal over Lukaku and Martinez in the summer with Inter Milan keen. The Belgium international only moved to Stamford Bridge last year but it has not been a great year.

Much was made over the return of Lukaku in west London after leading Inter to the Serie A title. However, despite a strong start, the striker has seen his form drastically fall off a cliff.

So much so that the £97million man was frequently left on the bench throughout the latter stages of the season with Kai Havertz preferred up front. It has led to talk that the former Manchester United star might be looking to leave to reignite his career.

Lukaku has already stated that he would love to return to Inter Milan during an ill-timed interview over the festive period of the season. And he might get his wish just 12 months into his second spell at Chelsea.

However, there could be another striker going the other way after the Blues identified Martinez as an ideal replacement. According to The Athletic, the Argentine is being eyed by the club.

Thomas Tuchel is keen to add firepower this summer in a clear indication that Lukaku is not fancied by the German coach. The 29-year-old scored eight Premier League goals this season in 26 matches.

CalcioMercato are reporting that the Belgian is being targeted by Inter as their primary target. In his two years in Italy, Lukaku scored 64 times over 95 games.

The San Siro outfit missed out on the Serie A title by two points behind their biggest rivals AC Milan. Despite making Lukaku a top target, their financial situation might force them into selling one of their star players to pay for the move.

Martinez might have to be sacrificed in order to bring the Chelsea star back, despite the brilliant relationship the two had in Italy together. The 24-year-old has scored 25 times in all competitions this year.