Romelu Lukaku always had Chelsea in his head, admits Federico Pastorello
Lukaku's agent comments on return to Chelsea
|Getty Images
Romelu Lukaku's agent Federico Pastorello has admitted that a return to Chelsea was always in the mind of the Belgian even in his last season at Manchester United. The Belgian international sealed a return to Stamford Bridge from Inter over the summer for a reported fee of £97.5 million.
Romelu Lukaku made a sensational switch to Chelsea from Inter over the summer, joining the Blues for his second spell at the club. The London club initially signed Lukaku in 2011 after the striker established himself as one of the hottest prospects of his generation. The Belgian striker failed to make the cut at the London club in his first spell and was sold to Everton following a successful loan spell. At Goodison Park, he became one of the best strikers in the Premier League and after three seasons with the Merseyside club, he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2017.
The 28-year-old started brightly at his new surroundings but soon found himself to be an expendable member of the squad. Inter swooped in to sign the former Everton man for a fee of €80 million. Under Antonio Conte, Lukaku stepped up his game and made dramatic improvements as he led the Italian side to Scudetto glory last campaign. Chelsea’s quest to sign a striker over the summer ended with them recruiting the Belgian back to familiar surroundings and Lukaku’s agent admitted that this move was always on the cards.
“The market can offer you certain opportunities. I consider them like trains passing and when the right train stops at the right place, you need to step in and leave. I could tell summer 2021 would be an important market for him. Three or four top clubs were looking for important strikers and on the market there was not one for each club. During his last season at Man United he always had Chelsea in his head. Real Madrid as well I have to admit,” Pastorello told Sky Sports.
“That is another dream of his in terms of imagining his career, but Chelsea was always 100 per cent his target. They were the love of his childhood so there was always this desire to come back. It was a question of pride. He had that in his head and his heart," he added.
