Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has lauded Romelu Lukaku, who is closing in on a big-money return to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan.
Speaking to the reporters in Belfast, as quoted by Goal.com, Chelsea defensive mainstay has sung praises of Romelu Lukaku ahead of the Belgian international’s imminent transfer to the club.
Lukaku will be returning to Chelsea for a second stint after a largely forgettable first spell during which he was farmed out on loan regularly. Since leaving the Blues permanently in 2014, though, the 28-year-old has forged a successful path for himself.
Having established himself as a top striker in the Premier League with Everton and Manchester United, Lukaku rocked up at Inter Milan in 2019 and turned them into title contenders under Antonio Conte in his first season before leading the Nerazzurri to the long-elusive Scudetto last season.
A prolific goalscorer, Lukaku is now set to return to Chelsea in a club-record transfer worth £98 million, with a point to prove. And Rudiger, while refusing to comment on the transfer, has hailed the Belgian international as one of the best.
Romelu Lukaku has just landed at Biggin Hill airport some minutes ago. This video is real and confirmed, Romelu is now in London to complete his move to Chelsea. ?? #CFC
??? [chelseapulse] pic.twitter.com/ZkofTTrT3y
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 11, 2021
“You can see in his body type that he is a beast. He’s someone who is very strong and I think also he showed it in Italy over the past two years. He did very well over there. Also for his national team. He’s a goalscorer and for me a top striker,” Rudiger said.
“I cannot talk about someone who is not a Chelsea player because I don’t know anything. I think I said everything about him about his strengths and that he is a top-class striker who loves to score goals.”
Rudiger is not the first Chelsea star to come out in praise of Lukaku, with Jorginho, too, having lauded the 28-year-old ahead of his imminent move to Stamford Bridge.
As for the completion of the transfer, reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that the 28-year-old had completed the renewal formalities with his representatives. The Italian transfer expert has also posted a video of the Belgian arriving in England, hinting that an official announcement will be imminent. It now remains to be seen if Lukaku’s second stint with Chelsea is a success or not.
