Romelu Lukaku Reunites With Antonio Conte In Napoli Transfer From Chelsea

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Romelu Lukaku has concluded his second tenure with Chelsea following his transfer to Napoli, confirmed on Thursday. Lukaku, who was on loan at Roma last season, has signed a three-year deal for a reported fee of £38 million, reuniting with former Inter coach Antonio Conte.

The Belgian striker netted 15 goals in 44 matches across all competitions during his second stint at Stamford Bridge after his £97.5 million move from Inter in 2021. However, he became surplus to requirements after an underwhelming first season back at Chelsea.

Lukaku's 24 Serie A goals were instrumental in helping Conte secure Inter's 19th title during the 2020-21 season. Despite this success, Lukaku returned to Inter on loan before joining Roma last term, where he scored 21 goals in 47 appearances. Seven of these goals came in the Europa League as Roma reached the semi-finals.

Last season, Lukaku produced an expected goals (xG) of 0.33 per 90 minutes, ranking third among Roma players in Serie A behind Paulo Dybala (0.48) and Sardar Azmoun (0.47). Only Dybala (10.59) registered more expected goals than Lukaku (9.83) within the squad.

Lukaku also led Roma's squad in shots (65) and shots on target (28) in the league last term. However, his shot conversion rate of 20% ranked sixth among players who featured at least ten times for the club in Italy's top flight.

Performance Under Conte

Lukaku has scored 47 goals in 72 appearances under Conte across Europe's top five leagues, averaging a goal every 125 minutes. No other coach has seen Lukaku score more goals than Conte.

Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 29, 2024: "Romelu is proud to be one of us! #ProudToBeNapoli | #ForzaNapoliSempre | #WelcomeLukaku" pic.twitter.com/Z4R4x4LVkz

This move marks another chapter in Lukaku's career as he aims to replicate his previous success under Conte at Napoli.