Chelsea on Thursday re-signed striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5m.
Gatekeepers News reports that the 28-year-old Belgian, Romelu Lukaku has returned to Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal, having left Chelsea to join Everton for £28m in 2014.
The fee is just a little behind the record-breaking British transfer of £100m paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish on August 5.
Lukaku said, “I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature.
“I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.”
Belgium’s all-time top goalscorer after leaving Everton moved to Manchester United for an initial £75m in and later joined Inter Milan in 2019.
He joined Inter in the summer of 2019 from Manchester United for £74m, and now he has become the most expensive player ever sold by a Serie A club.
According to history and financial stats, more money has now been spent on Lukaku than any other player in history with clubs paying out a combined figure of about £290m in transfer fees for him.
Also, two of the top five fees paid for a player in British football history have now been for Lukaku.
His return back to the Blues ‘comes at right time’, as the European champions finished fourth in the Premier League last season, scoring 58 goals – which was only the eighth-highest total in the division.
Chelsea Director Marina Granovskaia while commenting on Lukaku’s homecoming, said, they have signed “quite simply one of the world’s best strikers and goalscorers”.
“We are absolutely delighted to be bringing him back to the club he loves, and are excited to be adding his talent to our Champions League-winning squad.”
Lukaku with 24 Serie A goals was one of the key players that saw Inter Milan to their first title in 11 years last season.
While noting that the chance to return to Chelsea is now, Lukaku said, it “comes at the right time.
“The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly at 28 and just coming off winning Serie A.
“Hopefully we can have a lot of success together,” he added.
Despite expressing happiness with the Italian champions, Lukaku made a reverse on his stance earlier this month, after informing Inter that he would like to return to Chelsea if the right offer was received.
Inter while confirming his departure in a short statement, thanked him for his two seasons of service and wished him “all the best in his future challenges”.
His arrival at Stamford Bridge could seal the exit of other strikers as Roma and Arsenal have shown interest in England international Tammy Abraham and out-of-favour Michy Batshuayi has also been linked with a move to Turkey.
Lukaku added, “Since I left Chelsea, it’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but these experiences made me strong and the challenge is to try to help the team win some more trophies.”
