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Romelu Lukaku's agent admits Chelsea return was a mistake
Cameron Smith
- 17 Oct 2025 08:04 CDT
- 4 min read
News
Romelu Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has revealed that he regrets finalising the Belgian’s move back to Chelsea for €113 million in 2021.
The 32-year-old completed a blockbuster return to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2021-22 season, following a sensational spell at Inter Milan, and he became the Blues’ all-time record signing at the time.
Current ETV
Romelu Lukaku
F (C)
Napoli
Romelu Lukaku
F (C)
Napoli
ETV Range
€11.9M - €14.5M
Lukaku arrived following Chelsea’s triumph in the 2021 Champions League final and he was expected to bolster Thomas Tuchel’s attack as the west London giants targeted a first Premier League victory since 2018.
However, Lukaku endured a tough spell back at Chelsea and he soon confirmed that he regretted his decision to leave Inter in a highly-controversial interview aired on Sky Italia.
The Belgium international’s relationship with the Chelsea supporters quickly soured and after loan spells back at Inter and at AS Roma, Lukaku joined Napoli on a permanent deal last summer.
When asked if returning to Chelsea was the right choice for Lukaku, Pastorello told AS: “No, it's clear that in hindsight, probably not.
“In many ways, yes, because Romelu was included in the Ballon d'Or list that year, something that had never happened before, and it was a record transfer from the Italian league. I think it still remains Chelsea's record. Chelsea later made other very expensive purchases, but at the time, it was the second most expensive in the Premier League and the most expensive in Chelsea's history.
“It was the right decision at the time. Then there are the human variables; no one could have foreseen Lukaku's difficulties, perhaps not so much environmental, because he knew the club, but rather in his relationship with the manager.
“He came from an almost father-son relationship with [Antonio] Conte, and that difference in approach conditioned him somewhat, along with the injury he sustained. If it hadn't been for that, the story would have been different.”
Pastorello added: “In hindsight, perhaps I as an agent wouldn't have made that transfer. But he could have also stayed at Inter, and everything would have changed. Conte left, Achraf Hakimi too, who was important in Romelu's season. It's easy to talk in hindsight, but we don't know what would have happened if he had stayed.”
Lukaku scored 15 goals in 44 appearances during his second spell at Chelsea, including the opener during their 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in the 2022 Club World Cup final.
Romelu Lukaku to Real Madrid?
Pastorello also confirmed that a surprise move to Real Madrid was a possibility during Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell as Los Blancos head coach.
“I must be honest and say there was an opportunity, at a time when it wasn't clear where Romelu was going and with Ancelotti as coach.
“They [Real Madrid] were thinking of reinforcing the forward line, but they were already focused on the big signing of [Kylian] Mbappe for the following year and didn't want to spend money on a loan. So let's say there was an opportunity because Ancelotti would have liked it; he always held Lukaku in high regard, but unfortunately it didn't materialise.”
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