Romelu Lukaku is officially back at Inter. The striker was unveiled by president Steven Zhang with a video on Twitter before the formal announcement. The Belgian star forced his way back to Milan after a tumultuous season at Chelsea.
The 29-year-old previously spent two campaigns with the Nerazzurri, bagging 64 goals. He was key in their return to Serie A glory in 2020/2021 with Antonio Conte at the helm. The club decided to comply with his request to move to Chelsea over financial difficulties. He transferred in a €115M last summer. However, he often butted heads with Tomas Tuchel in London and did not live up to his price tag.
???#FORZAINTER pic.twitter.com/T18spEjNat
— Inter (@Inter) June 29, 2022
According to Goal, Lukaku gave up €3.5M of his salary to reunite with Inter. He will make as much as he would have if he never left, €8.5M, while he had €12M wages, plus bonuses, at Stamford Bridge. The Nerazzurri needed to get the deal done before June 30th to benefit from major fiscal savings. They will pay €8M plus €4M add-ons for the loan spell. The extra sum mostly hinges on whether they will win the title.
Lawyer Sebastien Ledure, who conducted the talks since the striker split with his agent Federico Pastorello, commented to Sky.
“Nobody believed it could happen at first, and they thought the deal was impossible. We worked under the radar with the new Chelsea owner and the Inter management. Lukaku is really back at Inter, and it is a success. I often feared the negotiation would collapse considering the magnitude of his previous transfer, but we were confident since day one. We took it step by step. Nobody knows what will happen in year. Let’s enjoy his return and then we will see. This positive outcome the only thing that matters.”