Rome (AFP)

Inter Milan made official Thursday the arrival of international striker Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United.

Lukaku, 26, has signed a five-year contract, "until June 30, 2024," said Inter, without revealing the amount of the transfer, quantified by the Italian press to 65 million euros plus 10 million in fewer bonuses and bonuses.

"Inter are the only club I wanted because Inter is not for everyone," said the center forward.

"I'm here to bring back the Nerazzurri to the top of the ranking," he added, after passing the rigorous medical tests and signing his new contract, which according to the Italian press could bring him up to 9 million euros. EUR per season, bonus included.

The former Everton and Manchester United player was greeted by some 200 delirious fans on his arrival at Milan-Malpensa airport around 1:00 am. "Lukaku is one of us", "Score a goal in Turin", had chanted his euphoric fans, in the hope that the Belgian striker allow Inter to challenge the hegemony of Juve, champion for eight years.

In early August, the new coach of Inter Antonio Conte had confided "hope a lot" the arrival of Lukaku. "He's a good player, an attacker I tried to buy when I was a coach at Chelsea" (2016-2018).

In search of a center forward, Inter had been trying since the start of the transfer window to attract the former striker who has not played a single minute with Manchester United since the resumption of training.

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, after a first refusal from Manchester, frantic contacts took place in recent days while Lukaku was in Brussels to train with the club of his debut, Anderlecht.

This episode, confirmed by the publication by local newspapers of photos of Lukaku wearing the jersey of the Belgian club, irritated Manchester including for sponsorship reasons.

Inter contested the 26-year-old striker, third in the last World Cup with Belgium, with Juventus who, according to specialized media, had proposed a Paulo Dybala-Romelu Lukaku exchange to the Red Devils. The Lombards won the jackpot, getting an agreement with United in the final hours of the English transfer window.

© 2019 AFP