“Lukaku left to double his salary” – Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta delivers bold claim on Chelsea superstar

Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has taken a shot at Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku, claiming the striker left the Serie A club this summer just to double his wages. Marotta also said there was no difference between the Belgian striker and Edin Dzeko, whom Inter signed to replace Lukaku this summer.

Chelsea re-signed Lukaku this summer for a club-record £97 million. The Belgian striker scored on his debut against Arsenal and then netted twice against Aston Villa, but has since failed to find the back of the net in the Premier League.

Speaking to Il Corriere Della Sera, Marotta hit out at Lukaku for leaving Inter for money.

"Lukaku was sold for €115m and we bought Dzeko for free. On the pitch, there isn't much difference. Lukaku left to double his salary, in Italy these figures can't exist," Marotta said. "Today, we can't make important investments, I wouldn't be allowed to sign Lukaku for €75m. We need reduced and specific investments."

Romelu Lukaku on why he joined Chelsea from Inter Milan

Romelu Lukaku supported Chelsea growing up, and the opportunity to rejoin the club was too good for him to turn down. Speaking to the club's official website after he penned the deal with Chelsea, Lukaku said he was "happy and blessed to be back."

"I'm happy and blessed to be back at this wonderful club. It's been a long journey for me: I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I'm coming back with a lot of experience and more mature," he said. "The relationship I have with this club means so much to me, as you know.

"I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling. I think this opportunity comes at the right time and hopefully we can have a lot of success together. Since I left Chelsea, it's been a long journey with a lot of ups and downs, but these experiences made me strong and the challenge is to try to help the team win some more trophies."

Romelu Lukaku looks set to miss the next few games for Chelsea after suffering an ankle injury in their 4-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday.