Belgium striker, Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea 10 years after he first joined the club; £97.5m signing surpassed the Blues’ previous Club record signing of Kai Havertz; Lukaku was the second top scorer in Serie A last season.
The fee for Belgium’s record goal machine surpasses the £75.8m paid for Kai Havertz last summer.
“I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club,” Lukaku told the club’s website. “It’s been a long journey for me: 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.
“The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know. I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.
“The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly at 28 and just coming off winning Serie A. I think this opportunity comes at the right time and hopefully, we can have a lot of success together.
“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. I can’t wait to get started and to help the club achieve more success.”
After leaving Chelsea in 2014, Lukaku became one of the most prolific strikers in Europe, scoring 87 goals in 166 games for Everton between 2014 and 2017, and 42 goals in 96 appearances during his two years at Manchester United before signing for Inter in 2019.
The 28-year-old scored 24 goals for Inter in Serie A last season, helping the club to clinch the first Scudetto in 11 years as the club put an end to Juventus’ nine-year dominance as Italian top-flight champions.
