Napoli have finally completed the permanent signing of Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea for a fee worth up to €45m following months of speculation.
The Belgian striker has signed a three-year contract at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, bringing an end to an unhappy second spell at Stamford Bridge.
The 31-year-old rejoined the Blues in the summer of 2021 for a then-club record €115 million fee, seven years after his first stint at the club ended.
However, Lukaku played just 44 games (scoring 15 times), leading to a season on loan at Inter, who Chelsea had bought the striker from and he has now returned to Italy with Napoli, who will pay an initial €30m and could owe a further €15m in bonuses.
He spent last season on loan at Roma, scoring 21 times in 47 appearances, and this return to Serie A sees him reunite with his former Inter boss Antonio Conte.
The 2022/23 Serie A champions will be hoping that the arrival of both Conte and Lukaku will help them bounce back from last season’s hugely disappointing 10th place finish.
