Napoli have signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, the Serie A club announced on Thursday, ending the Belgium striker's extended period in limbo with the Blues.
Owner Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed the deal, worth a reported $33.2 million, on social media by saying "Welcome Romelu" with a photo of him signing his three-year contract.
Lukaku's move to Napoli keeps him in Italy, at his third club in as many years after loan spells at Inter Milan and Roma.
🌊 A storm of goals ready to be unleashed
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) August 29, 2024
💙 #ProudToBeNapoli | #ForzaNapoliSempre | #WelcomeLukaku pic.twitter.com/HdsHiYdMgB
The 31-year-old was the idol of Inter fans when he fired their team to the Serie A title in 2021 under new Napoli coach Antonio Conte before being sold for well over 100 million euros to Chelsea that summer.
But Lukaku flopped on his return to Stamford Bridge, and that massive fee left him in limbo as clubs refused to meet the Premier League club's valuations for a sale.
It led to an underwhelming year on loan back at Inter in the 2022/23 season during which he was dogged by injury and largely kept out of the team by Edin Dzeko.
His mooted permanent move to Inter broke down last summer as the club found out he had been making noises towards fierce rivals AC Milan and Juventus, so Lukaku and Chelsea eventually accepted another loan deal with Roma.
However Roma were not interested in shelling out for Lukaku, allowing Conte to be reunited with a striker whose reputation has suffered in recent years but is still Belgium's all-time top scorer with 85 goals in 119 appearances.
Conte said in a press conference on Thursday that Lukaku will be selected in the Napoli squad for Saturday's home match with Parma "as loss as he doesn't have any (physical) problems".
Napoli are trying to bounce back from a dreadful league title defence last term in which they went through three managers and finished 10th.
Lukaku has been brought in as part of that rebuilding process and as a replacement for want-away star forward Victor Osimhen who is reportedly considering a move to Saudi Arabia as no European club has offered enough for Napoli to sell.
Napoli currently sit 11th in Serie A after a crushing defeat at Verona and convincing win over Bologna in their first two matches of the new season.
AFP