What happened next for Chelsea's biggest number 9 flops as Lukaku returns to Inter

Romelu Lukaku looks set to return on loan to Inter Milan, just one season after leaving to rejoin Chelsea for a club record £97.5 million.

After rebuilding himself and helping Inter to the Serie A title in 2020/21 following a forgetful spell at Manchester United, Lukaku jumped at the chance to return to Chelsea, intent on succeeding with the club who gave up on him.

In what felt like a story destined for a storybook ending with the world class Belgian set to dominate with Chelsea and complete the redemption arc, the transfer quickly turned into a complete nightmare.

Despite scoring on his second debut with the club, Lukaku found goals incredibly difficult to come by and looked like a square peg in a round hole whenever he played. He managed just three goals from his first 11 Premier League games of the season and fell out of favour with Thomas Tuchel as his form plateaued.

Then came the interview.

With his return season already looking rather bleak, Lukaku spoke to Sky Italia in December 2021 and essentially confessed his undying love to Inter and expressed his desire to return to the club in the future.

While he would attempt to clear up his quotes and apologised, the damage was done, and Lukaku was left red-faced with no goals to back him up.

It appears as though he is going to get his wish, however, with Fabrizio Romano now reporting that an agreement has been reached between Chelsea and Inter for the loan return of the Belgian striker. The loan will bring to an end what was a complete shambles of a return to London, and could again spell the end of Lukaku’s time at Chelsea.

But, he isn’t the first number nine to struggle with the demands of leading the line for the Blues. Far from it. Chelsea’s number nine shirt