Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on a season-long loan for a fee of £8.8m after a disappointing season at Stamford Bridge. The Blues signed Lukaku last summer for a club-record £97.5m but the Belgian was a disappointment in his second stint with the west London club.
Lukaku only tallied eight Premier League goals in 26 appearances and three goals in six Champions League matches. He was very vocal in wanting to return to Inter and his wishes have now been granted as he will look to bring another Scudetto to Milan this year.
There have been a lot of changes to the Inter Milan side this summer as they have reloaded to reclaim the Serie A title after falling to archrival AC Milan by just 2 points last season.
On the other hand, Chelsea have so far replaced Lukaku with Raheem Sterling and have added some key pieces to their defense. The Blues do not look to be done this summer as their new ownership group is looking to make a splash.
(All Premier League and Serie A betting odds are current as of Saturday, July 9.)
How Lukaku fits with Inter Milan
Lukaku fits like a glove with Inter Milan as he will play alongside striker Lautaro Martinez, just as he did in the 2020-2021 season. The duo was a dynamic force up top and having a reliable sidekick might be what Lukaku needs to regain his form.
With the World Cup coming up this winter, the Belgian national team will hope to see Lukaku back amongst the goals before the big tournament.
Inter Milan plays in a 3-5-2 formation with two wing-backs, and Lukaku will replace Eden Dzeko in the starting lineup this season. Inter did lose Ivan Perisic in the summer, but brought in Joaquin Correa, Kristjan Asllani, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan can play any attacking position and will likely be used in an attacking midfield role in this lineup. With Perisic leaving for the EPL, Robin Gosens will most likely take on the left wing-back position this year.
Paulo Dybala was originally linked to Inter Milan and would’ve been the perfect No. 10 to link the attack, but he signed with Serie A rival Roma over the weekend. Asllani is more of a defensive midfielder, so they’ll rely more on Mkhitaryan to link the play this season.
Lukaku, who scored 47 Serie A goals for Inter in his two seasons with the club, won’t really need much time to adjust as this transition is as close to seamless as you can get. The Serie A race will be fun to monitor this season and after the moves they have made this summer, Inter will 100% be one of the favorites to win it.
Chelsea after Lukaku’s Departure
Chelsea’s big offensive signing this summer has been Raheem Sterling from Manchester City. The Lukaku departure will not hurt them much this year as he was already being phased out of the lineup towards the end of last season after not getting along with manager Thomas Tuchel.
This team could still look very different once the domestic season begins as the futures of Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic are all up in the air. At the moment, Sterling would play alongside Timo Werner at the top of the Chelsea formation.
Chelsea’s biggest hole had been on the back line, but signing Kalidou Koulibaly will certainly help and look for youngster Trevoh Chalobah to take the next step this season.
Unfortunately, Tottenham and Arsenal made key signings and beefed up their rosters this summer as well, making them a bigger threat to Chelsea this season. Unless the Blues make some more key signings, they are on the wrong side of the top four right now.
I would not bet on Chelsea to finish in the top four (-150) on BetMGM until we see how the rest of the summer shakes out.
Lukaku & Inter Milan Bets
➕ Inter Milan to win Serie A (+175) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
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Inter Milan is the favorite right now to win the Serie A title and they should be. Unfortunately, this means there’s no real value in betting on them to win the league, but the plus-money odds are tempting. Inter only lost to AC Milan by two points last year and have improved their team tremendously this summer.
Back Inter Milan to reclaim the Serie A title this season.
➕ Inter Milan to win Champions League (+2800) at BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 0.5 Units
Place this bet at BetMGM.
There is no team in the world right now that “worries” me as a truly dominant force heading into the new season. At the start of last year, no one really predicted Real Madrid to win the Champions League with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and PSG the favorites.
Inter Milan could definitely be this year’s Real Madrid, and with the addition of Lukaku, they have the offensive firepower to contend with anyone. How far they go in the Champions League this year will likely depend on the play of their back line.
Before the tournament last year, Madrid were (+1600) to win the UCL and had the eighth-best odds. At (+2800), Inter have the ninth-best odds to win the trophy. There are some similarities between the two teams, and if Lukaku has a Benzema-esque season, then they definitely have a chance to make a memorable run.