Leaving for London last summer for the astronomical sum of 115 million euros, "Big Rom" will be loaned to Inter Milan for a season, the two clubs announced on Wednesday evening, after the rigorous medical examination.

"Too happy" to come back, said the 29-year-old Belgian international when he landed in the Lombard capital at the start of the day, before assuring his president that he was going to score a lot of goals for him, in the official video. loan, in the evening.

The Nerazzurri, who obtained this loan for 8 million euros excluding bonus according to the press, find with Lukaku a powerful scorer, who had allowed them to be champions in 2021.

Associated with the Argentinian Lautaro Martinez in a well-oiled duo nicknamed "LuLa", Lukaku had put Italy at his feet for two years at the forefront of Inter then led by Antonio Conte.

His power, speed and efficiency (64 goals in 95 matches) had convinced Chelsea to sign a big check to bring in the Belgian.

But the disappointment was up to the number of zeros on the check.

- Complicated equation -

Chelsea failed to keep up with the hair-raising pace of Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League and couldn't retain their Champions League crown.

Romelu Lukaku with Belgium against the Netherlands of Virgil van Dijk (g) in the League of Nations, June 3, 2022 in Brussels JOHN THYS AFP / Archives

Lukaku, he did not find his place in Thomas Tuchel's team, on the bench at the start of almost half of the matches last season.

Enough to make him regret San Siro and Serie A. In December, in an interview with Italian television, he regretted having left Inter and already mentioned the possibility of a return: "I always said that I carried Inter in my heart, I will go back there, I really hope so."

Little appreciated in London, these remarks have since fueled speculation in Italy on how to allow this return and solve a very complicated economic equation.

With four more years of amortization of transfers to be borne by Chelsea (i.e. more than 80 M EUR) and a five-star salary to assume (about 12 M EUR annually according to the Italian press), a definitive transfer to Inter did not seem not an option.

Especially since the Italian club is itself engaged in a policy of reducing its payroll, due to the financial problems of its owner, the Chinese group Suning.

What future for Dzeko?

But the will of Lukaku, determined to revive, was decisive.

Inter was thus able to complete a loan thanks to a drop in salary granted by the player and also taking advantage of the fact that the Belgian will continue to benefit in Italy from tax measures allowing, under certain conditions, foreigners to be less taxed.

Romelu Lukaku in the jersey of Inter against Udinese, May 23, 2021 in Milan Miguel MEDINA AFP / Archives

With 15 goals in 44 games (0.3 goals per game), Lukaku is coming off the least effective season of his career.

His ambition was therefore first to find his feelings and the statistics he had in Italy (0.7 goal / match).

The interist coach Simone Inzaghi, who already had the most prolific team in the championship, gains a scorer potentially with more than 30 goals per season, which is less in the DNA of Edin Dzeko (17 goals, all competitions combined).

With the return of "Big Rom", the future of the Bosnian, who arrived last summer to compensate for the departure of the Belgian, remains to be clarified, in an offensive sector which still includes Alexis Sanchez and Joaquin Correa.

Not to mention the still possible arrival of Paulo Dybala, even if discussions are on stand-by on this other hot issue from Inter.

Belgium, she hopes above all that the top scorer in its history (68 goals, in 102 caps) will finally have chased his "blues" when it comes time to join Qatar at the end of the year.

© 2022 AFP