When dealing with Inter Milan a year ago, Chelsea moved quickly to tie up a deal for Romelu Lukaku's return to Italy. Todd Boehly and co worked to ensure that the Belgian forward's future was not debated for long after a difficult time under Thomas Tuchel.
With the Serie A side having missed out on a league title to their city rivals AC Milan, a foray into the Champions League knockout stage was not enough to boost their budget after an expensive period under Antonio Conte that saw the club twice break their transfer record amidst the additional issues the landscape of Covid-19 brought.
Chelsea's desire for Lukaku to depart ensured that Inter could afford to bring the striker back to the club on loan, however, and while his return has had both ups and downs, a journey to the Champions League final has followed under Simeone Inzaghi. Lukaku played his part in holding the ball up before feeding it to Lautaro Martinez to cement a 3-0 win on aggregate.
