Romelu Lukaku has apparently given his approval to the idea of joining AC Milan and the club are exploring a deal with Chelsea, a report claims.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, Lukaku has been criticised at the European Championship and yesterday he and Kevin De Bruyne failed to get past Ukraine, which means they will now place France on July 1st in Dusseldorf.

However, Milan called for Lukaku and made it clear that they are keen, considering him a 'very interesting solution' to their striker dilemma. The No.1 target in the spring was Joshua Zirkzee but negotiations have stalled, so alternatives are being looked at.

Conte courtship Lukaku has no objections to the idea of joining Milan. He was at Inter but that ended on a sour note, while he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have clashed before but a reconciliation doesn't seem difficult to imagine.

The striker at present considers Milan and Napoli two interesting solutions. He didn't say no and he is ready to consider a transfer that would allow him to stay in Italy for at least another year. His lawyer, Sebastien Ledure, could soon return to work, in Milano or Naples.

The new Napoli boss Conte was clear yesterday: "Lukaku is an excellent player like Osimhen, there is no comment to make about them but only to admire them when they play. You always want to hope to have them on your side and never against you."

More Stories / Exclusive Chelsea's stance To solve the riddle then you need to make a call to Chelsea and ask what they want to do with Romelu. The answer is that they would like to sell him on a permanent basis to try recoup some of what they paid.

The Blues are currently not open to any loan deals, which is the 'ideal solution' for Milan. Lukaku still has two years left on his contract and for Chelsea it's time to sell him, with a EUR43m release clause in his deal.

There are two paths: an offer of EUR25-30m would be enough, or they can wait and negotiate with Chelsea, potentially in late August when their stance might have softened. Victor Osimhen's potential sale and the Zirkzee soap opera will have a big say.