Romelu Lukaku is back at Inter Milan - less than 12 months after leaving for Chelsea - with his shirt number causing a stir.
The Belgian's exploits in Italy saw the Blues spend £97.5m to bring him back to Stamford Bridge and he arrived with high expectations. However they were not met and the club have opted to send Lukaku back to the San Siro on a season-long loan.
The forward only scored eight times in the Premier League and gave an interview mid-season expressing a desire to return to Inter. He will don the No.90 shirt after sealing his return, but several fans believe his bizarre choice is poking fun at Chelsea after his failed move.
A club-record fee of £97.5m was needed to lure Lukaku back to west London, but the Blues will recoup just £6.9m in loan fees this term. That means, as things stand, they've lost around £90m from the deal. As a result the forward's shirt number has been seen as a way of mocking his parent club.
One fan on Twitter said: "Someone said Inter gave Lukaku the number 90 to represent the profit the club made and I've been dying laughing since.".
Another added: "Inter gave Lukaku the number 90 to represent the 90 million profit they made from him."
Chelsea will receive an additional £3.9m if Inter do go on to claim the Serie A crown. Lukaku was able to lead them to the Italian title in his final season at the San Siro, scoring 30 times. He couldn't translate that form back in England, despite proving himself at Everton and Manchester United.
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Thomas Tuchel wasn't shy in publicly criticising his forward. He eventually opted to play without a No 9 as the season drew on, leaving Lukaku to watch on from the bench. The Belgian has now underlined his happiness at being back in Italy, claiming he remain in dialogue with figures at the club last term.
He said: “The affection of the fans and my team-mates, but also the opportunity to work with the coach. I stayed in contact with him all last season. I think the coach is doing well with the team. I want to contribute and do good for this club.
“It’s like coming home. I think my family and I had a really good time in Milan thanks to the people, the fans and my team-mates. From the first day when I arrived here everyone helped me a lot, I’m really happy. I didn’t even leave my home when I went to England, which shows how happy I am to be back here. Now I just want to see the guys on the pitch. Inter have given me so much and I hope now to do even better than before.”
