Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on a year-long loan, the Nerazurri have confirmed via a statement on the club’s official website. The Blues signed the Belgian in a club-record transfer (€113m) at the start of the 2021/22 season but have shipped him back for a fraction of the fee.
Lukaku will spend the campaign with Simone Inzaghi’s team, but his future beyond that remains unclear. Internazionale do not hold the option or the obligation to buy him outright once his spell concludes.
The striker first joined Inter from Manchester United back in 2019/20. Over two seasons, the forward scored 64 goals in 95 appearances for the Nerazzurri, who were then under the stewardship of ex-Chelsea and Juventus boss Antonio Conte.
With Conte, Lukaku helped the Milan giants return to the Italian summit, a decade on from their last domestic win. He was voted Serie A’s Most Valuable Player for his contributions to Inter’s title success in 2020/21.
Speaking on his return to the club website, Lukaku expressed his delight at rejoining Inter, claiming that the feeling is akin to returning home.
“It’s an amazing feeling. What we achieved here a year ago was fantastic. That goes for the team, the fans, and also me personally. Inter have given me so much and I hope to do even better than last time. It’s now time to work hard as a squad and hopefully do even better than before.”
“It’s like coming home. My family and I were so happy here thanks to the people, the fans, and my teammates. From the first day I arrived here, everyone helped me settle in. I’m very happy.”
On and off-field issues plagued Lukaku’s short stint at Chelsea. The forward finished as the club’s top scorer across all competitions in 2021/22 with 15 goals. But, unwarranted interviews and a failure to adapt successfully to Thomas Tuchel’s system facilitated a quick move back to Inter.
