Inter forward Lautaro Martinez has revealed that he spoke to Romelu Lukaku "every day" after the Belgian's return to Chelsea in 2021. Lukaku returned to Stamford Bridge from San Siro in a club-record deal, only to re-sign for the Nerazzurri on loan after a disappointing homecoming season with the Blues.
The 29-year-old scored on his second debut for Inter as they opened their 2022-23 campaign with a 2-1 win at Lecce, and provided an assist for Lautaro in their latest outing against Spezia.
Hakan Calhanoglu and Joaquin Correa were also on target in the 3-0 victory, and Lautaro expressed his delight over the rekindling of his partnership with Lukaku after the game.
What did Lautaro Martinez say about his partnership with Lukaku?
The Argentine told Sky Italia: "I am very happy he came back because he said we need to battle against everyone. He’ll give us a big hand and we will continue battling alongside him.
“We kept in contact and spoke every day from the moment he left. He is a great help to this team. We all want to keep improving, we have four talented strikers and all bring different characteristics.”
Why did Lukaku fail at Chelsea?
Getty ImagesLukaku moved back to Chelsea in a blockbuster £98 million ($119m) transfer but failed to live up to expectations as he scored only eight Premier League goals in 26 appearances last term.
He also sullied his relationship with Chelsea supporters with an explosive mid-season interview in which he admitted regretting leaving Inter in the first place.
Lukaku spoke further on the frustration he endured after sealing his return to Inter, telling DAZN earlier this month: "The season at Chelsea gave me extra motivation to do even better than before. I think in a year people have forgotten what I can do on the pitch. This is a kind of anger that I have inside of me."