Chelsea have completed the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter for £98 million ($136m), with the Belgian striker returning to Stamford Bridge for a second spell after two years in Serie A.
Lukaku, who had his first stint between 2011 and 2014, signed a five-year deal with the European champions that will see him remain in west London until 2026.
Inter Milan were initially reluctant to part ways with the Belgium international, but couldn’t afford to turn down Chelsea’s mouth watering offer owing to the club’s financial crisis and the 28-year-old has now been officially unveiled at the Bridge ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.
“I’m happy, blessed to be back at this wonderful club. I have supported Chelsea as a kid. The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly and just coming off winning Serie A. This opportunity comes at the right time and we can have a lot of success together,” Lukaku told the club’s official website.
Lukaku was crucial in Inter’s Scudetto triumph last season, amassing a total of 24 Serie A goals, second only to Juve star Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of 29.
The move makes Lukaku world’s most expensive player in history in terms of combined transfer fees (€327.56m), surpassing Neymar (€310.2m).
