Mercato: after a difficult season at Chelsea, Lukaku returns to Inter Milan (official)

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku returns to Inter Milan, just a year after leaving for Chelsea, loaned to the Nerazzurri for a season by the London club where he failed to win, announced the two clubs on Wednesday.

Real spearhead of Inter crowned champion of Italy in 2021, the powerful 29-year-old striker returns to Milan with the hope of reviving after a mixed season in London, a few months before the 2022 World Cup.

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"

," Inter president Steven Zhang announced in a video on Twitter, alongside the Belgian.

Chelsea confirmed in parallel on the same social network a “

” loan.

A year after selling Lukaku for some 115 million euros to the "Blues", Inter will welcome him for a season against a compensation of 8 million euros, excluding additional bonuses linked to the results, according to English media and Italians.

Duo of fire with Lautaro Martinez

The ex-Everton and Manchester United striker, who became a San Siro idol during his two years at the top of the team then coached by Antonio Conte (2019-2021), would also have accepted a significantly lower salary for to be able to find the blue and black tunic alongside Lautaro Martinez, with whom he will be able to reform a dreaded duo, nicknamed the “LuLa”.

In two years at Inter, Lukaku had scored 64 goals in 95 matches.

What push Chelsea to sign a big check last summer.

But the striker never managed to flourish in the team composed by Thomas Tuchel, often being relegated to the bench.

In December, in a television interview, the Belgian international had thus expressed his regrets at leaving Milan, where he was cheered on all day by supporters on Wednesday, during his various trips to pass his medical examination and then sign his contract.