Lukaku couldn’t quite hit the ground running during his first stint in London between 2011 and 2014, having been sent out on loan for a majority of his time there.
However, after an underwhelming period at Manchester United, the Belgian found his feet at Inter Milan, thriving under then-boss Antonio Conte and winning the Serie A title.
The Blues took notice of just how well their former frontman was doing over in Italy, and soon persuading him to come back despite him being very grateful to Inter.
“I didn’t want to go behind Inter’s back – they got me out of the shit,” Lukaku said about the move after he signed. “I was in a deep hole at Manchester United.
“After training I went to [head coach Simone] Inzaghi’s office. I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere because I was no longer with my head in Milan. So I asked him: Please find an agreement.”
Of course, unfortunately, Lukaku hasn’t been able to give Chelsea much bang for their buck following his club-record £97.5 million transfer last summer.
Whilst 15 goals in a season in all competitions isn’t a terrible tally, given his cost, the 29-year-old hasn’t done the job they were hoping for.
Now, he looks set to be returning to Inter on loan – with a hefty £8.5million [€10m] loan fee, which could rise to over £10m with add-ons – with the two clubs reportedly holding talks last week.
But, last summer, Lukaku was in the form of his life.
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