ROME (AP) — Romelu Lukaku’s season-long loan deal from Chelsea to Roma was completed on Thursday, two days after the Belgium striker was welcomed by thousands of Giallorossi fans at a local airport.
“The welcome I’ve received from this club and its fans has excited me and given me even more motivation to give my all for my new team,” Lukaku said in a statement on Roma’s website. “As an opponent, I felt the atmosphere of the Stadio Olimpico, and felt the warmth of the Romanisti.”
The cost of the loan for the 30-year-old Lukaku was reportedly 8 million pounds ($10 million), taking the cumulative transfer fees spent on the former Manchester United, Everton and Inter Milan center forward to nearly 300 million pounds (around $375 million) — second only to Neymar in soccer history.
Lukaku has 78 goals in 132 matches across all competitions for Inter Milan over three of the past four seasons.
He will reunite with Roma coach Jose Mourinho after stints under the Portuguese coach at Chelsea from 2013-14 — even if he was sent on loan to Everton that season — and at Manchester United from 2017-18.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
