Should Romelu Lukaku make his long awaited return to Anderlecht this summer?

Should Romelu Lukaku make his long awaited return to Anderlecht this summer?

With the news that Romelu Lukaku will not feature for Napoli again this season, the question about where his future lies will once again be doing the rounds this summer. Lukaku has struggled for fitness at Napoli this season, with just one goal in seven games. It is a disappointing return given how well he played during the previous campaign, where he grabbed 14 goals and 11 assists in 38 games. Italy has always been a country where Lukaku has thrived, but the 32-year-old may have to look elsewhere this summer.

As a result, the prospect of a return to Anderlecht will loom large. Lukaku has always stated that he wants to return to the club where his career began. Belgium’s record goal scorer has a close affinity to Anderlecht, and when not playing has been seen around the Brussels club. Anderlecht would certainly like to see Lukaku return, and aged 32, he would still be able to perform at a high level when fit.

Lukaku burst onto the scene as a teenager at the Mauves. During the 2009/2010 season he bullied Pro League defenders and scored 19 goals in 45 games. If that had happened 10 years later, a teenager with such a strong first season would have been instantly snapped up by the big clubs. Yet, Lukaku enjoyed another full season with Anderlecht. This time he played 50 games, scoring 20 goals. Chelsea then came in and the rest is history.

Anderlecht could do with the boost a return of Lukaku would do to the club. When Vincent Kompany made his return, it provided a boost off the pitch, and eventually on it when he almost won the domestic cup during the 2021/2022 season as the sides head coach.

Since Kompany left, Anderlecht have been struggling to replicate their historic success. This has led to an atmosphere of frustration amongst the fans. Lukaku’s return could go someway to alleviating this frustration, and should certainly help the side on the pitch.

The question is whether or not Lukaku thinks now is the time for him to make that move back to Belgium. He still has a year left on his contract with Napoli, so he and Anderlecht would have to find a way to make the finances work. Anderlecht are not flush with cash at the moment, so Lukaku would need to take a pay cut and Napoli would have to accept a nominal fee for the forward to make the return.

Whether it happens this summer or not, the return of Lukaku to Anderlecht is surely just around the corner.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson