Chelsea may have to deal with Romelu Lukaku leaving the club this summer, with the player keen to leave Stamford Bridge straight away, according to a report from Football Insider.

Is Romelu Lukaku leaving Chelsea?

The striker didn't feature in a single league game for the Blues over the course of the 2022/23 Premier League season, as he was instead shipped out to Inter Milan on a loan deal. Having re-joined Chelsea in 2021/22, he was not given a chance to star for them over the course of the last campaign and instead had to make do with minutes in Italy instead.

Despite his side finishing third in Serie A, the forward was once more a key player for the club and played 25 times for them in the league, bagging ten goals and six assists along the way.

His performances actually made him stand out once more as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, when compared to others in the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues. His non-penalty goal rate of 0.49 per 90 for example saw him sit in the top 20% in that area and he did even better when it comes to assists, managing a rate of 0.34 per 90. That number meant that he is in the 98th percentile for that particular figure – meaning that there aren't many better strikers at setting up teammates than the Belgium international at the moment.

Despite a solid campaign for Inter though, the player is not likely to return to his parent club and get gametime under new boss Mauricio Pochettino now, despite previous reports revealing the new boss was ready to hand the player a fresh start.

Instead, the striker is unlikely to play a single minute for the new boss, with a report from Football Insider stating that he intends to exit the Blues this summer before even trying his luck under the Argentine. The player himself wants a move back to Inter Milan on a permanent basis and it means that he will likely be shown the door by Chelsea, rather than being brought back into the first-team fold. CIES Football Observatory though suggest they might not recoup much of what they paid for him, as they feel his value currently sits around 20 million Euros (or just £17m).

How does Lukaku compare to other strikers?

Lukaku's latest stint at Chelsea then, if he is sold this summer, could amount in just 16 starts and eight goals. The player though is by no means incapable of producing the goods upfront though, as the previously stated comparison stats show.

In addition to those, he has one of the highest rates of progressive passes received amongst those in his position in the 'Top Five' leagues, with 8.68 per 90 (93rd percentile). He also has a rate of 2.44 progressive passes per 90 himself (78th percentile). It means that not only does he score goals and set them up but he is capable of taking the ball and making things happen, finding himself in clever positions but also finding his teammates in them too.

His all-round game has improved then – and Inter would certainly benefit if the player does leave Chelsea this transfer window.