Inter Milan are currently downsizing to an extent that it completely goes against the success they achieved last season - and the fans are not happy. Their pride is hurt.
From the moment club captain Samir Handanovic lifted the Serie A title on May 23, everything started to unravel. A significant shortage in club finances came to light, Antonio Conte jumped ship - and now their most important stars are being sold too.
The loss of Conte was a major blow, the £60million sale of Achraf Hakimi to PSG less so - but an exit for star striker Romelu Lukaku would be one bridge too far for the Inter fans in terms of their anger.
Inter Milan fans are furious with their club's owners after a tumultuous summer off of the pitch
Inter have lost their manager and star defender since lifting Serie A and more players could go
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the Belgian forward is heading towards the exit door amid serious interest from his former club Chelsea.
As Sportsmail revealed this week, the Premier League side have seen an opening bid of £88million plus left-back Marcos Alonso rejected for the Inter Milan star, who scored 30 goals in 44 matches last season in all competitions.
Inter Milan owner Steven Zhang is demanding more money for his star asset, who Chelsea want desperately.
Roman Abramovich reportedly sent his son over to Italy to try and convince Lukaku to rejoin Stamford Bridge on a £13m-a-year contract, despite the forward struggling on the pitch in west London during the opening years of his career.
Chelsea have seen an opening bid rejected for Romelu Lukaku but Inter do need the money
Lukaku is happy in Milan and has fallen in love with the city he has spent the last two years of his career in, but has become frustrated about Inter's financial concerns, which saw Zhang offer him to Manchester City earlier this year.
The 28-year-old reportedly does not want to return to Manchester, a city where he never really settled during his two years at United before escaping to Milan.
Inter's desperate desire to ship him off to the Etihad Stadium has left him offended and wanting an exit from the San Siro.
And following Chelsea's clear desire to bring him back to London, Lukaku is closer to moving to Stamford Bridge than he is fulfilling another season in his Inter contract - which runs until 2024.
Italy's papers on Tuesday morning state Lukaku is closer to leaving Inter Milan than staying
Losing Lukaku, however, would be detrimental to Inter's quest to build on the success generated by Conte last season. Finding a striker who shares his goal return of 64 goals in 95 games is difficult to find without breaking the bank.
With Inter already losing the seven goals and 11 assists that Hakimi brought from wide areas, it is no surprise that the fans are furious with Zhang, who is slowly becoming unpopular everywhere he goes.
The 29-year-old pulled funding from his Chinese Super League
