Romelu Lukaku has joined Roma from Chelsea on a season-long loan deal.
The striker, 30, had been linked with fellow Serie A giants Inter Milan and Juventus earlier this summer but will instead be reunited with Jose Mourinho — his former boss at Manchester United and the Blues.
Lukaku is Roma’s seventh signing of a busy summer following the arrivals of Sardar Azmoun, Rasmus Kristensen, Houssem Aouar, Evan Ndicka, Renato Sanches and Leandro Paredes.
On his move to the Eternal City, the Belgian said: “The welcome I’ve received from this club and its fans has excited me and given me even more motivation to give my all for my new team.
“As an opponent, I felt the atmosphere of the Stadio Olimpico and felt the warmth of the Romanisti.
“It’s nice to know I’m a part of it today. I recently got the opportunity to speak with the owners and I was impressed by their ambition.
“Now we must work, be humble and grow game by game. For my part, I can’t wait to be available to my team-mates both on and off the pitch.”
Lukaku spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Inter, making his return just a year after leaving the Nerazzurri for Chelsea in a £97.5million deal.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, he will now look to reinvigorate his career in the Italian capital and attempt to get Roma back in the Champions League after their sixth-place finish last term.
The 75-goal international endured a mixed season back at Inter, scoring 14 times in all competitions but failing to nail down a regular starting spot in Simone Inzaghi’s XI.
The centre forward follows the likes of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz out of the door at Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino’s major squad overhaul continues.
