Lukaku admits 'I live for these emotions' after fans give him a hero's welcome

Romelu Lukaku admitted that seeing the mass turnout of Roma fans on his arrival at Ciampino Airport filled him with 'positive thoughts' ahead of his loan move from Chelsea.

The Belgian forward has once again departed the Blues for Italy, joining Jose Mourinho's Giallorossi on the penultimate day of the transfer window to secure regular football.

After a £98million move from Inter to Stamford Bridge in 2021, it has been a far from comfortable return to west London which has yielded just 15 goals in 44 games, with a return to Inter on loan coming last season.

With his place in the side under threat once again, seemingly being frozen out of Mauricio Pochettino's first-team, Lukaku has once again sought the refuge of Serie A football, with Roma keen to bring the striker in on loan.

In an interview now released by the Europa League runners-up, Lukaku has admitted that seeing the throngs of people who turned out to welcome him to the Italian capital was 'beautiful'.

'You know what's beautiful? That Roma fans support the players a lot if they play well,' he said. 'This, for a person like me and for the rest of the team, is good for all of us.'

'When I landed and saw all those people waiting for me I could only think positive thoughts. That's what you want to experience when you play football. You live for those emotions,' he added.

'The Colosseum? It's beautiful, it's the first time for me because I've never been here before. Now I can see the symbol of Rome, it's a moment I've been waiting for for many years because when I was little it was impossible to see it. Now I'm here and I want to take some nice photos to show my children.'

Since arriving at the Giallorossi Lukaku has played just 19 minutes of competitive football as he works his way back to full fitness, coming on in a recent 2-1 defeat to AC Milan.

Mourinho's side have not made the best of starts to life in 2023-24, currently sat  18th after three games having drawn their opener against Salernitana, followed by defeats to Verona and Milan, both 2-1.

There is great expectation on the 30-year-old to rediscover his best form after a difficult 12 months that saw him struggle to cement a starting berth at Inter Milan last season and fail to find the net in the Qatar World Cup.

Lukaku touched down via private jet at Rome's Ciampino airport on Tuesday afternoon and was met by eager supporters anticipating his arrival, the player lifting a Roma scarf above his head to the evident joy of the masses.

There were loud roars from the crowd as he stepped out at the city's second airport waving, touching his chest and showing his appreciation for the welcome, beaming all the while.