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Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan striker flew to London to complete club record chelsea transfer fans protested against the boss – "Zhang, time is over"

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Romelu Lukaku, who left Chelsea in 2014, instructed Inter earlier this week to allow him to leave when a suitable offer was available; inter fans protested against the club's Chinese owner during a friendly match in Parma on Sunday

Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan striker flew to London to complete club record chelsea transfer fans protested against the boss – "Zhang, time is over"

Lukaku scored four goals for Belgium at Euro 2020 as his country reached the quarter-finals

Romelu Luca will fly to London to complete his £97.5 million (€115 million) transfer from Inter Milan to Chelsea.

After the Italian champions agreed in principle to re-sign the striker's club for a record deal, the 28-year-old underwent a first-part medical examination at Milan.

The paperwork is now handled by club lawyers and once formalized, Lukaku is expected to sign a five-year contract worth £200,000 a week.

Inter have previously rejected two offers from Chelsea for the Belgium international, the second worth £85 million (€100 million) plus left-back Marcos Alonso.

Lukaku made just 15 appearances since coming to Stamford Bridge from Anderlecht in 2011 before leaving Chelsea in 2014.

One of Europe's most prolific strikers, Lukaku scored 87 goals in 166 appearances for Everton between 2014 and 2017 and scored 42 goals in 96 appearances at United in the two years before signing for Inter milan in 2019.

He scored 24 goals in Serie A last season, helping Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years, ending Juventus' nine-year reign as Italy's top-flight champions.

Chelsea hope to close the deal by 11pm on Tuesday so players can be registered with UEFA for Wednesday's Super Cup against Villarreal.

Upon completion of the deal, Lukaku will be the player with the highest combined transfer fee in history, reaching a staggering £308.5 million, £30 million more than second-placed Neymar (£271.7 million).

Tuchel: Lukaku is the material we're looking for

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was reluctant to admit that The Lukaku deal was nearing completion, but did highlight an area where the club wanted to strengthen the No. 9 role after Olivier Giroud left the club to join Ac Milan.

"We lost Olivier Giroud, who played a key role at the club," Tuchel said. "He's the kind of guy who likes to play with his back to goal, he likes to hold the ball, to create space for Werner, Havertz, Pulisic; ready to play against the defenders.

Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan striker flew to London to complete club record chelsea transfer fans protested against the boss – "Zhang, time is over"

Thomas Tutchell said Chelsea were looking for a Number 9 player after Olivier Giroud left the club

"It's the kind of profile we don't have in the team at the moment, we're looking for. It's not the time to talk about names yet because we haven't signed yet and we'll show respect to the other clubs.

Romelu is one of those like Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern's Lewandowski and Tottenham's Harry Kane, he is a true Number 9 player who loves to score and has a presence in the box. It's no secret. This phrase [Tuchel] describes Lukaku as an "amazing player"] is easy to repeat for any coach in the world.

"But [he] is the kind of image we're looking for and if it's possible to convince agents and clubs, we'll do our best."

Tuchel also stressed the need for improvements after the "big signings" elsewhere with Jack Grellish to Manchester City and Jaden Sancho to Manchester United.

"They are important signings and we are also trying to improve the team; at the same time, we put all our energy into the players we have – our goal is to improve our existing team," Tuchel added.

With Chelsea bringing Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge, Tuchel has a new striker

His Belgian national team coach Roberto Martinez was one of those who said Romelu Lukaku had improved in the game, and one statistic best illustrated that. Last season, Lukaku contributed no other number of assists to Inter in Italy.

That's a statistic that is still skeptical by some, and Lukaku's 11 points did include some simple square passes and layoffs. But other goals highlighted the awareness, wisdom, vision and touch of Inter's title-winning title.

It was this level of performance that persuaded Chelsea to bring him back to Stamford Bridge a decade after signing his first contract with the club. The 28-year-old Lukaku returned at his peak and was never ready to make a big difference in the Premier League.

"We're close and it's almost done. Lukaku received medical treatment in Milan today, the first part has ended ... After the medical treatment is completed, he will come to London. It could be today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but in reality, he's a Chelsea player.

"10 years after he joined Chelsea, it's a fantastic move for him. Last time, it didn't work out. He was supposed to be the new Didier Drogba, who struggled to be sold to Everton. But he came to support a better player, a more complete player.

"He's exactly what Chelsea need – a number 9. Thomas Tuccell said to the Chelsea board 'give me a number 9, I want Lukaku, Haaland or Kane' and they got Lukaku. They had to pay the price to get his premium, he was 28 - how much resale value would he have? I think if he leaves Chelsea, he will still have some resale value.

"But if he can recreate the form he has shown in Italy over the past two seasons, then Chelsea can solve their problems because Lukaku scores 20 or 30 goals every season.

"This is a textbook example of how to make a transfer. You have to take off your hat to his advisor, his agent, because everything is doing well. It was done privately and behind the scenes, and lukaku was very professional without a strike - he always said the right thing, which was a good deal for Inter. ”

Romelu Lukaku Inter Milan striker flew to London to complete club record chelsea transfer fans protested against the boss – "Zhang, time is over"

Lukaku is on his way back to Stamford Bridge – 10 years after signing for Chelsea for the first time

Inter had to cut their wage spending this summer, while champion boss Antonio Conte left the club in May amid fears of budget cuts.

Lukaku did not participate as Inter won 2-0 in a friendly match in Parma on Sunday night – a match that witnessed a long-standing protest by the club's Chinese boss over the planned sale and general cost-cutting strategies.

Chairman Steven Zhang was the most angry target, playing banners in the match with "Zhang, time is over" and "Zhang, if you want to save Inter You must leave".

Chelsea are keen to sign a world-class centre-forward during the transfer window, while Borussia Dortmund's Errin Haaland is another target of interest to the Blues.

Meanwhile, with Romelu Lukaku leaving San Siro, Inter are negotiating to sign Roma striker EdinDzeko and offer the Bosnia and Herzegovina international a two-year contract.

Inter want to sign two strikers to replace Romelu Lukaku, with one of their other targets being Atalanta's Colombian international Duwan Zapata.

If Atalanta sells Zapata, they will try to sign Tammy Abraham from Chelsea.

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