Lukaku’s new shirt number at Inter and what it means for Dzeko

Inter confirmed that Romelu Lukaku will wear the Number 90 jersey, which in itself is a clue that Edin Dzeko is staying at San Siro.

The Belgium international completed his return to Inter today on loan from Chelsea for €8m plus performance-related bonuses, taking a 35 per cent pay cut to help the move go through.

It was announced via social media with a video featuring President Steven Zhang.

On Instagram, Zhang also added a hashtag: ’90 is our new weapon.’

This has been taken as a hint that Lukaku will choose the Number 90 jersey this season, which was later confirmed by the club.

It has several meanings, as Pezzo di 90 in Italian is a phrase referring to a big deal, a real heavyweight.

This is also a play on the Number 9 jersey that Lukaku had during his last Inter spell, but which has now been taken by Dzeko.

In turn, that suggests the Bosnia and Herzegovina international will not be leaving the club this summer and will retain the Number 9.

It’s not the first time Inter have been a bit creative with their numbers, as when Ronaldo joined and took the Number 9 from Ivan Zamorano, the Chilean took on 18, except on the back of the shirt it was written as 1+8, making a total of 9.