TRANSFERS: Chelsea with Lukaku or Manchester United with Pogba - which Italian scam was bigger?

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku is reportedly on his way back to Inter Milan just one year after he left the club to join Chelsea for a club-record £98 million fee.

The 29-year-old will now head back to Milan on a straightforward one-year loan deal for £8 million with no obligation to buy and Chelsea left with nothing but regret.

On the other side of England, that feeling of regret is all too familiar, with Manchester United left reeling about losing Paul Pogba for free for the second time in 10 years on a free transfer to the same club, after they had also paid a club-record fee to bring him back.

Inter Milan and Juventus have probably just pulled the biggest scams in football history with Chelsea and Manchester United their all too gullible victims but who drew the shorter of these two miniature straws?

Manchester United and Chelsea will feel shortchanged about the Pogba and Lukaku deals Pulse Nigeria

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Italian heist at Stamford Bridge

As Chelsea kicks off their new era under the club's new steward, Todd Boehly, the Blues will now carry the stigma of the worst piece of business in the history of football until someone else relieves them of that title.

Expensive flops are not exactly new to Stamford Bridge, in fact, Lukaku would have been the exception and not the rule had he achieved any semblance of success.

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku AFP

However, unlike the other expensive disappointments before him, Chelsea will not even attempt to wait it out with Lukaku as the Belgian is being shown the door after just one season.

Kepa Arizabalaga and Tiemoue Bakayoko are both still Chelsea players despite flopping expeditiously, the club tends to stick with its mistakes and the eagerness to get rid of Lukaku reeks of buyers remorse.

To wrap it all up, Inter signed Lukaku for £75 million, enjoyed his best two seasons and got a league title for their troubles, then sold him to Chelsea for a £23 million pound profit and are now set to get him back for next to nothing on loan a year later…no wonder Chelsea feel robbed, this was a heist.

Chelsea have been bamboozled by Inter in the Romelu Lukaku transfer Pulse Sports

Bella Ciao

As impressive as Inter Milan's '419' was, Juventus leads the way with their dealings with Manchester United regarding Paul Pogba.

It is unlikely that any club can sign one of the world's top 5 midfielders on a free transfer, it is almost impossible to do so twice but that is exactly what Juventus have just done.

Juventus have signed Paul Pogba twice on a free transfer while also making 89 million pounds in the process Twitter

Juventus are about to sign Paul Pogba as a free agent for the second time in the last decade which just so happens to be the best years of the Frenchman's career.

Both times Pogba joined Juventus as a free agent, it was Manchester United's loss and it becomes even worse when one remembers that they paid £89 million to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016.

Paul Pogba ece-auto-gen

So essentially, Paul Pogba was a Juventus player the whole time, on a six-year loan deal worth almost 100 million of the Queen's pounds and is now returning to his parent club.

It probably hurts United even more that his six years at the club were underwhelming and all they will remember him for are his haircuts…what a shame.