Chelsea manager has revealed the negotiations that took place in the build up to Romelu Lukaku's signing for Chelsea this summer.

The Belgian international joined Chelsea in August 2021 for a reported £97.5 million.

Lukaku originally played in a Blues jersey from 2011-2014, but only made a handful of appearances, as he spent two seasons out on loan to West Bromwich Albion and Everton.

As quoted by gianlucadimarzio.com, Thomas Tuchel discussed how the Blues got their hands on the former Inter striker.

"I'm sorry for the Inter fans, but like everyone we try to improve our formation.

"We were looking for a very physical striker, a point of reference, a player with a personality who could lift the pressure off the shoulders of the younger players and give us the chance to play faster football.

"Returning to England, where he played as a young man, was important for him. I knew he was an extraordinary person."

The 28-year-old, who just came off a Serie A winning season with Inter, has become an instant hit with Blues' fans, taking over from Timo Werner as the side's starting striker.

In nine appearances already this season, Lukaku has found the back of the net on four separate occasions, and is consistently showing signs of getting in the right position to score.

He is also in spectacular form for his native Belgium at the moment, having scored 11 international goals in 12 appearances in 2021 already.

This brings his international tally to 68 goals in 101 games for his country.

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