Napoli Confirm Signing Of Romelu Lukaku From Chelsea

Napoli has officially announced the permanent signing of sidelined Chelsea striker, Romelu Lukaku. 

The Belgian international has ended a nightmare second spell at Chelsea by retuning with Antonio Conte for an initial fee of around £25m, with £12m in potential add-ons

The Belgium international was among a group of Chelsea players informed earlier this summer that they had no future at Stamford Bridge.

After spending last season on loan at Roma, Lukaku was eager to return to Italy and quickly became a target for the Serie A title winners of the 2022/23 season.

A fee was eventually agreed between the two clubs, meaning Lukaku will now play for a third Italian team after two stints with Inter and another temporary spell at Roma.

Despite being one of the most prolific strikers in modern international football, boasting 85 goals in 119 matches for Belgium, the 31-year-old has generally faced challenges with consistency at the club level.

Signed by Chelsea in 2011 after his talent was spotted at Anderlecht, Lukaku impressed during seasons on loan with West Bromwich Albion and Everton, later making his switch to Goodison Park permanent.

During the 2016/17 season, he netted 25 goals in the Premier League, which resulted in a high-profile transfer to Manchester United for an initial fee of £75 million.

However, he faced significant struggles with his form and departed the club with a record of 42 goals in 96 appearances across all competitions, before reviving his career at Inter.

Lukaku struck up an instinctive forward partnership with Lautaro Martinez at San Siro as his goals powered the Italians to the 2020/21 Serie A title and the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana the following season before returning to Chelsea for a whopping £97.5m.

Things started well enough as he scored on his second Blues debut in a 2-0 win at Arsenal but a falling out with then manager Thomas Tuchel saw him frozen out of the squad, resulting in his return to Italy for two seasons on loan with Inter and Roma.

However, Roma showed no interest in paying for Lukaku, leading Napoli’s coach, Antonio Conte, to reunite with a striker whose reputation has declined in recent years.