Chelsea completed a club-record transfer of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan earlier on in the summer and the Italian club’s CEO Beppe Marotta has now confirmed that the Belgian returned to Stamford Bridge in order to double his wages.
Lukaku was exceptional for Inter Milan and he helped them win the Scudetto last season. He managed to score 64 goals for the Italian outfit in 95 appearances.
There were rumours that Lukaku would not consider leaving Inter Milan anytime soon but Chelsea managed to convince him in the end.
The Italian outfit were going through financial difficulties during the summer transfer window and they found it difficult to turn down a lucrative offer from the Blues.
The Belgian striker is not the only player who was sold in order to cope with the financial difficulties and star defender Achraf Hakimi was transferred to Paris Saint-Germain as well.
So far Lukaku has made a positive impression since his return to Stamford Bridge and it will be interesting to see if he can help the Blues win the Premier League title this season.
It also remains to be seen whether the Belgian striker response to Marotta’s comments that his move was motivated by money.
Marotta told Corriere della Sera: “Lukaku was sold for €115m and we bought Dzeko for free. On the pitch, there isn’t much difference. Lukaku left to double his salary, in Italy these figures can’t exist.
“Today, we can’t make important investments, I wouldn’t be allowed to sign Lukaku for €75m (£63m/$87m). We need reduced and specific investments.”
