It’s now finally official- Romelu Lukaku returns to Chelsea, seven years after leaving Stamford Bridge. Big Rom moves over on a permanent deal from Inter Milan in a transaction that breaks two record.
With a €115m transfer fee, he’s the most expensive Chelsea player ever and the biggest sale in Serie A history. Lukaku is now “home,” as he arrived in 2012 just a boy. Now he returns as a man.
https://twitter.com/RomeluLukaku9/status/1425895590550986757
The Belgian initially moved to Stamford Bridge as a 17-year-old from Anderlecht in 2011. Rom returns to the west London club on a five-year deal that makes him the Blues highest-paid player at the club, where he’ll earn £200,000 per week after taxes.
And check out the chart below, with this move, Lukaku has set a unique record, he’s now the world’s most expensive player kind of, sort of.
Romelu Lukaku is now the most expensive player in football history in terms of combined transfer fees ? pic.twitter.com/0eRDwFG3Ck
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 12, 2021
“I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club,” Lukaku said to 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.
Romelu Lukaku with Marina Granovskaia and I now a Chelsea player pic.twitter.com/LIMOas1tr5
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) August 12, 2021
“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.”
Lukaku and Chelsea open the season Saturday against Crystal Palace.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.