Lukaku completes 'emotional' switch to Fenerbahce
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has left Napoli to join Turkish club Fenerbahce, returning to a country where he spent part of his childhood while his father played there.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has completed a move to Turkish club Fenerbahce, leaving Italian side Napoli. The 33-year-old was hampered by injuries last season, managing just seven appearances for Napoli across all competitions.
Belgium's all-time top scorer is now returning to a country he knows well: he lived in Turkey during the 1996-1997 season, when his father Roger was playing professionally for Super Lig club Genclerbirligi.
In a video message posted on social media and addressed to Fenerbahce supporters, Lukaku called it an honour and a privilege to join the club. He said he was fully fit and ready to play, describing the return to Turkey — where he first experienced professional football as a young child alongside his father — as an emotional moment.
The transfer fee and the length of Lukaku's contract have not been made public. Despite his injury-disrupted campaign at Napoli, the former Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United forward still scored three goals at this summer's World Cup.
Over his career, Lukaku has won a Belgian league title with Anderlecht, the Fifa Club World Cup with Chelsea, and Serie A titles with both Inter Milan and Napoli. He becomes the second former Manchester United forward to join Fenerbahce this summer, following Mason Greenwood's move from Marseille.
Fenerbahce have finished as league runners-up to Galatasaray for four consecutive seasons and have not won the Turkish title since 2014.
