Inter’s decision to hand new loan signing Romelu Lukaku the No 90 shirt has left Chelsea fans licking their wounds.
The 29-year-old striker completed his £6.9million loan return to the San Siro on Wednesday, less than 12 months after exiting to Chelsea for £97.5m last summer.
Lukaku made no secret of his desire to reunite with the Italian giants during a controversial interview with Sky Italia in December and revealed on Thursday that his return was ‘like coming home’.
Inter announced that Lukaku will sport the lesser-worn No 90 shirt next season, which has sparked plenty of reaction amongst Chelsea supporters on social media.
According to several Blues fans, the number was chosen to represent the net gain Inter received by offloading and re-signing the Belgian international in less than a year.
Although a handful of rival supporters were able to see the funny side, Chelsea fans took to social media to lament Lukaku’s parting jab.
One fan said: ‘Inter and Lukaku have monumentally f****ed us. Now the number 90 shirt as well to take the complete p*** out of us.
‘I have never been so ashamed about a deal.’
‘Time to mute his name,’ said another Blues supporter, eager to forget about his club parting with almost £100m for the transfer flop.
However, a presumed Arsenal fan capitalised on the opportunity to mock their London rivals.
‘Lukaku wearing the 90 shirt as a symbol of how many millions Chelsea lost on the transaction. Quality banter,’ they remarked.
The Belgium star netted 64 goals in 95 games at the Italian club under former manager Antonio Conte and helped win the Serie A title in 2020-21.
Since taking up a new challenge at Stamford Bridge, Lukaku struggled to deliver a comparable goal tally, notching a mere eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances last campaign.