Chelsea 'REJECT Juventus' loan offer for Romelu Lukaku'... with the Blues 'demanding £34.2m' for wantaway striker

Chelsea have reportedly turned down a loan offer from Juventus for Romelu Lukaku, according to a report in Italy.

The Belgian striker is currently training at Cobham after returning to the Blues following a year on loan at Inter Milan.

However, new boss Mauricio Pochettino all but confirmed he will not remain at the club past the summer after leaving him out of the Blues' pre-season tour of America.

The 30-year-old had been expected to rejoin Inter this summer, but he is thought to be keener on joining Juventus.

According to Tuttosport via Football Italia, Massimiliano Allegri's side have offered to take Lukaku on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Chelsea insist Lukaku's price tag remains £34.2million but that could drop soon as he is currently frozen out by the Stamford Bridge side.

Juventus are are keen to bring in a striker as Dusan Vlahovic is seemingly available for sale in this window, though the club have previously insisted on banking £77m for the talented 23-year-old.

Inter had a second bid worth £26m rejected for lukaku a fortnight ago before pulling out of the race to sign him.

He is said to have snubbed Simone Inzaghi's side after being benched for the Champions League final last season.

A large group of fans gathered behind a barrier at the club's medical centre earlier this month to make their feelings on the striker clear, chanting 'we don't want Lukaku.'

Wherever he ends up, the 30-year-old remains an effective striker at the top level and could make a big difference next season.

He scored 14 goals in 37 games for Inter last season, and scored 30 across all competitions in a Scudetto winning campaign in 2020-21.