Romelu Lukaku proud after 'best season of his career' ends in title glory
By Tom Gott
Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has confessed that he has never felt better than he does after steering I Nerazzuri to their first Serie A title since 2010.
Lukaku, who has 21 Serie A goals to his name this season, added his ninth assist to help fire Inter to a 2-0 win over Crotone on Saturday, and Atalanta's 1-1 draw with Sassuolo a day later means Antonio Conte's side can no longer be caught at the top of the table.
It's been an outstanding season for everyone at Inter, but few have seen their stock rise quite like Lukaku, who is now regarded as one of the game's best strikers and is being linked with a £100m return to the Premier League.
"This was the best year of my career," said Lukaku. "Last year was also good, but this year, we have done some great things and I hope we can continue like this.
"I'm really happy. I want to thank everyone because this year has been really good for us. I am very happy for all the Inter fans in the world, for the team, for the coach and his staff, for the president, for everyone. It was a good year for us, I'm really proud to play for Inter."
They definitely don't sound like the words of a player who is planning to leave Inter this summer.
Lukaku is on the shortlists of both Manchester City and Chelsea, who see him as a 'cheaper' alternative to Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland. The Norway international is expected to cost close to £150m, whereas Lukaku's price tag could sit at closer to £100m. Bargain.
The two English sides will likely hope that Lukaku feels as though he has unfinished business in the Premier League, where he struggled to get minutes with Chelsea and failed to compete for titles with Everton and Manchester United.
However, it seems like Lukaku is having the time of his life, and who can blame him?
"For me it's time to celebrate with the people," he continued. "I went out with a friend of mine because the best thing is to see the fans and I'm glad I did. For many of us Inter players it is the first title and right now we just have to celebrate."