The push for Haaland, the Inter U-turn, the negotiations – how Chelsea brought Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge
Romelu Lukaku hadn’t been back in pre-season training with Inter Milan for long when he started being bombarded with messages from Belgium international team-mates on his phone.
There was one subject they were looking for clarification on: Was he going to rejoin
Chelsea? Their confusion was understandable, because Lukaku had made it clear publicly and privately over the summer that he was very happy at Inter Milan. The new Serie A champions had also insisted he was going nowhere.
Yet the 28-year-old’s replies gave enough of an indication that the situation had changed and a move back to Stamford Bridge was possible. One source suggests the striker intimated he simply ‘couldn’t resist’.
And so it proved. Less than a week off a decade to the day since first signing him from Anderlecht for £18 million, Lukaku has returned as Chelsea’s record buy at £97.5 million.
The negotiation process has been relatively short but, as always, reaching this point hasn’t been completely straightforward.
This is the story of how the deal to re-sign Lukaku was done.
To some Lukaku might be seen as a consolation prize or just a Plan B. Chelsea’s desire to buy
Erling Haaland is well known and has been
a major talking point since this year’s winter transfer window. But it would be wrong to assume the man they have actually ended up buying was only added to the wish-list in the last few weeks.
The west London club may have already had Haaland in mind before Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as coach in late January, but it didn’t take the German long to assess the options at his disposal and feel Chelsea were lacking a top-class, traditional No 9.
By early spring, it is understood Tuchel had not only given his backing to making an attempt for Borussia Dortmund’s Haaland but had also earmarked Lukaku as another candidate he’d like to lead the line in 2021-22.
Obviously, for Lukaku to end up signing, it would mean things didn’t work out in Chelsea’s ambitious pursuit of Haaland. And so it proved, despite all their best endeavours.
Chelsea officials had made efforts to repair their relationship with Haaland’s agent, Mino Raiola, over the previous two years or so, to enhance their chances of acquiring the 21-year-old Norway international.
Raiola had been considered mostly to blame for Chelsea’s failed attempt to buy Lukaku back from
Everton four years ago. He was Lukaku’s agent at the time, and the player ended up going to
Manchester United instead.
But even though Chelsea established better terms with Raiola, they still faced an uphill battle to get Haaland.
Dortmund were adamant from the get-go that he wasn’t for sale, even though they could make a lot more money from selling him this year than next (when a €75 million release clause kicks in).
It is believed the German Bundesliga club were far more relaxed about the situation than they were last summer over the possible departure of another of their star attacking players, Jadon Sancho. Back then, they had set a deadline (August 10) and a price (€120 million) for Manchester United to come to an agreement over the England winger and weren’t sure whether the Old Trafford side would meet either (they didn’t).
Sancho joined Manchester United for £73 million last month instead and it meant Dortmund were even less inclined to let Haaland go (they tend to let only one big asset leave per transfer window).
Raiola wasn’t pushing either. He was in constant talks with the Dortmund board because they were in the process of buying another of his clients — Netherlands international striker Donyell Malen — from PSV Eindhoven.
During those conversations, it was made clear that Haaland was happy to stay for another 12 months (Raiola had gone on a tour of major European clubs earlier this year to gauge interest, primarily with 2022 in mind) and Dortmund simply refused to negotiate with Chelsea. It has been suggested it still took until mid-July for the European champions to give up on their pursuit.
Was there anyone else under serious consideration? Tuchel spoke about his admiration for
Harry Kane in May but given the intense cross-London rivalry with
Tottenham Hotspur, there was never a realistic possibility of a deal for the England captain happening.
It is understood leading agent Pini Zahavi proposed the possibility of Robert Lewandowski, who has just two years left on his contract at Bayern Munich. Chelsea were under the impression Lewandowski was keen to come. However, club officials never made an attempt to sign the Poland international, who turns 33 this month, in recognition of the fact that Bayern were not prepared to let him go this summer under any circumstances.
So, back to what was going on with Lukaku.
Chelsea knew this wasn’t going to be straightforward either. Lukaku had been loving life in Italy since joining Inter from Manchester United in August 2019 for £74 million. He felt truly appreciated, unlike during his eight years in England. An impressive 24 league goals last season helped secure Inter their first Serie A title for 11 years in May.
Speaking to the Corriere della Sera newspaper afterwards, Lukaku made it clear just how happy he was feeling, giving no indication of a desire to go elsewhere. He said: “From the moment I landed, from the first day, I felt good here. I felt the love of the fans right away. It was the beginning of a fantastic story. I said to myself, ‘I must do everything to make this club win’. Inter have been through tough times. It was a while since they’d won a trophy. I feel this title even more, I wanted to be with the fans.
“In my head, I’m convinced that I’m on a team that can do great things. We can win and keep improving, start a new cycle. Next year we have to get through the group stage (of the Champions League), then anything can happen. We have everything to open a new cycle.”
But not long after that interview, Chelsea felt they had a great chance to sign Lukaku.
Inter’s financial troubles were clear for all to see when they lobbied for €275 million from investors Oaktree Capital Management in late May to ease some of the pressure on their bank balance. It was plain Inter needed to sell some of their best players. Lukaku was said to be off-limits, but that didn’t stop Chelsea from asking about him at a meeting soon after the end of last season.
They had initially opened talks with the San Siro club because they were keen on Achraf Hakimi. The right wing-back
was subsequently sold, for a reported £51 million, but to Paris Saint Germain.
However, sources have told
The Athletic that Chelsea left those discussions confident they could agree a price for Lukaku if they pursued that deal. This belief remained even when the player was telling Belgian television in June that he was staying at Inter.
Things then went quiet for over a month.
Lukaku was busy at the European Championship, where his performances were rewarded with a place in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament despite Belgium only making the quarter-finals (albeit they lost by the odd goal to eventual champions Italy), then went away on holiday, initially to the US. He was soon joined by Raiola’s replacement as his agent, Federico Pastorello, who enjoys a good bond with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia.
A week later, on July 14, Pastorello was spotted coming out of Inter’s offices following what had been a three-hour meeting. Naturally, he was asked what that meeting entailed, although it was thought he was talking to the hierarchy about another client of his in the Inter squad, Joao Mario (who later left for Benfica), and Monaco’s Keita Balde.
Pastorello gave little away saying: “We took stock of a number of situations. Lukaku? Can Inter rest easy? Romelu is now on a deserved vacation.” Not exactly a categorical statement that his future was at Inter.
There was still nothing untoward when Lukaku reported for pre-season training on July 26. He made a point of talking to the in-house TV channel about the season ahead and how much he was looking forward to it.
By now he was fully aware of the rumours of Chelsea’s interest, yet his focus was still on staying in Italy.
However, within a fortnight, he had done a complete U-turn and decided to return to Stamford Bridge.
To appreciate why Lukaku had such a dramatic change of heart, you have to reflect on the past.
There has been much talk about him having ‘unfinished business’ with Chelsea, the club he grew up supporting,
since he left for Everton in a £28 million deal in July 2014 and this is true.
How he was treated by Chelsea in his three years there has been a great source of motivation throughout his career. Lukaku made just 15 appearances, and a single start, in three seasons and was sent to West Bromwich Albion and Everton on season-long loans.
From day one, he was made to feel he was not good enough, primarily by then-coach Andre Villas-Boas. A few weeks after his arrival, Lukaku was left out of their
Champions League group-stage squad — the one
that went on to lift the trophy that season.
During interviews with Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur reflecting on that time, he has said: “After only a week, I didn’t like it anymore. After three weeks, I knew it wasn’t going to work out. I don’t want to say anything bad about him (Villas-Boas), but I’m not going to lie. I’ve been furious.”
There was also a realisation he needed to improve, a recognition this was a significant step up in class from his days dominating Belgian top-flight defences at age 18 in an Anderlecht shirt. Still, one of the positives from the first season was working with his idol Didier Drogba, who made sure he sat next to him in the dressing room.
The two men have remained in contact ever since, with the elder statesman consistently on hand to offer advice and encouragement. It was no surprise to see Drogba celebrate Lukaku’s imminent return to Chelsea on his Twitter account earlier this month. But it wasn’t Drogba who made the difference this time around. Chelsea’s willingness to pay nearly £100 million and make him their highest-paid player was the right kind of message to send.
Talks stepped up a fortnight ago.
Two bids were rejected, one of which included
Marcos Alonso going the other way. Granovskaia flew to the south of France to combine work with a bit of holiday time. The location was convenient, with Pastorello’s office not far away from her location in Monaco.
The breakthrough was made during discussions that began last Friday and were concluded the following day. Inter had hoped to get more than £100 million, Chelsea wanted to use players in part-exchange to reduce the fee. By agreeing to pay £97.5 million, a compromise suited both parties.
Once image rights and bonuses are taken into account, Lukaku’s salary will work out from around £325,000-a-week to £450,000-a-week, depending on just what is taken into account. This is a significant increase on Chelsea’s previous top-earner
N’Golo Kante’s £290,000-a-week deal and is also more than what the striker’s overall package in Italy came to.
It was simply an offer too good to refuse. The finances are an obvious benefit, but it is the message that spending such a vast sum on him sends which has made the biggest impact.
“Romelu is a player that needs to feel loved, to feel wanted,” a source says. “For much of his career, he has felt people looking at him with critical eyes. When he does well, people will say, ‘He’s doing this or that, but…’ and adding a negative. Chelsea have made him feel wanted. When he feels wanted, he forgets everything. That is how Chelsea have convinced him. By making him their most expensive player and paying him the most, they have done that.”
A fortnight after turning up for pre-season with Inter, Lukaku passed a medical and travelled to Nice in the south of France with Pastorello to put the finishing touches on the transfer. He also extended his personal contract with the agent.
Inter fans have reacted with anger, defacing a mural of Lukaku in the city. They also left a banner that reads, “Dear Lukaku, we expected more honest and transparent behaviour from you. But, despite the fact we protected you like a son, like one of us, you too proved yourself to be just like all the rest, going to your knees for money. We wish you the best, even if greed doesn’t always pay.”
Inevitably, there is a blame game over how Lukaku’s departure came about. As far as the player is concerned, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere had Inter not opened the door for Chelsea.
There was a lot made of Lukaku saying he wanted to leave last week. It is thought the forward told Inter’s new coach Simone Inzaghi — Antonio Conte quit within days of them winning the title as the scale of their financial problems became clear — that if Chelsea made a sizeable offer, the club should accept it for their own good. But he never pushed to depart in the first place.
How does Tuchel feel about it? He has been very coy up to now in press conferences but behind the scenes, he is delighted.
The Chelsea coach doesn’t regard Lukaku as second-choice because they couldn’t get Haaland. He appreciates both players for their ability to score goals primarily, and sees different qualities in each. For example, Lukaku is considered to be better than Haaland in the air, a quality Chelsea have been in desperate need of as cross after cross has gone to waste during matches.
Tuchel also sees this as great backing for him from the board. He requested an elite forward from them and, as far as he is concerned, they have delivered. Crucially, Lukaku was made aware just how much Tuchel wanted and values him before terms were agreed. This is a manager he admires and hopes to enjoy as strong a bond as he did with Conte for the past two seasons.
His new team-mates are excited about his arrival, too. Fellow forward
Timo Werner labelled him as “one of the best three strikers in the world”, while defender
Antonio Rudiger lauded his physical attributes, describing him as “a beast, someone who is very strong”.
Though they won the Champions League, Chelsea were only the eighth-highest scorers in the Premier League last season. Their 58 goals in the 38 matches were fewer than promoted
Leeds United managed. Lukaku is seen as the missing piece of the jigsaw they must complete to take on defending champions
Manchester City in a nine-month title race.
As for Lukaku, he can’t wait to get started and show that, as far as Chelsea is concerned, he’s been well worth the wait.
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