Chelsea have announced that they have completed the signing of Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.
The 28-year-old has penned a five-year contract with the Blues, who agreed a £97.5m deal with Inter for his transfer last weekend.
Lukaku previously represented the London club between 2011 and 2014 but failed to score in 15 appearances over the course of two seasons before joining Everton on a permanent deal
The Belgium international has since enjoyed successful spells with Manchester United and Inter, and he has now secured a return to Chelsea, who identified him as their leading attacking target after being forced to admit defeat in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Braut Haaland.
“I’m happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club. It’s been a long journey for me: I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature,” Lukaku told the club’s official website.
“The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know. I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.
“The way the club is going fits my ambitions perfectly at 28 and just coming off winning Serie A. I think this opportunity comes at the right time and hopefully we can have a lot of success together.
“Since I left Chelsea, it’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but these experiences made me strong and the challenge is to try to help the team win some more trophies. I can’t wait to get started and to help the club achieve more success.”
The fee is a club-record deal for Chelsea but just falls short of the British transfer record, which Manchester City broke when they signed Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m.