Delighted Romelu Lukaku ‘reduced to tears’ at leaving Chelsea for Inter Milan

Romelu Lukaku was said to be reduced to tears after hearing Inter Milan were about to bring his Chelsea nightmare to an end.

The £97.5 million striker endured a miserable second spell at Stamford Bridge last season, and quickly fell out of favour under Thomas Tuchel. Lukaku scored 15 times in all competitions, but was reduced to a bit-part role for the final months of the campaign.

The Belgian international previously restored his reputation at Inter Milan following a mixed spell at Manchester United. The Italian giants splashed £73m on the striker and were rewarded with 64 goals in just two seasons as the club went on to win Serie A in the 2020/21 season.

READ MORE:Inter Milan paying less than £7million to bring Romelu Lukaku back on loan

Now, Lukaku is set to return to Inter less than a year after leaving, and the prospect of this homecoming is said to have emotionally moved the 29-year-old.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claim the forward was reduced to tears when told by his lawyer Sebastien Ledure that a loan agreement had been reached.

Having already made a handsome profit of almost £25m on the sale last summer, Inter have agreed to pay just £7m including add-ons to bring Lukaku back to the San Siro. The striker has reportedly agreed to take a 35% wage cut to push the move through, taking his weekly salary down to an estimated £210,000.

Lukaku's contract at Stamford Bridge runs through until 2026, but a controversial interview with Sky in Italy at the turn of the year suggested he was angling for a return.

The former Everton and West Brom loanee appeared to criticise Tuchel's tactics while opening the door for a move back to Inter in the future.

Lukaku told Sky in December last year: "I don't think any of it should have happened the way it did. The way I left Inter and the way I communicated with the Inter fans.

"I'm annoyed about that because it's not the right time now but it wasn't the right time when I left either. I always said that I love Inter and I'll play for them again. I really hope so. I fell in love with Italy."

Tuchel confirmed Lukaku was fined and attempted to draw a line and move on from the interview, but the striker went on to become a backup player in the latter stages of the season.

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is said to have been keen to swiftly negotiate Lukaku's exit in order to focus on bringing in Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.

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