Inter Milan’s sports director, Piero Ausilio, has stated that their former player, Romelu Lukaku, disrespected them by handling their re-signing attempt.
Romelu Lukaku originally joined Inter Milan from Manchester United on August 8, 2019, for a cost of €74 million. Chelsea opted to sign him on August 12, 2021, for a transfer price of 113 million, owing to his outstanding performance during the 2020-2021 season.
Throughout the 2021-2022 season, Lukaku struggled at Chelsea and even clashed with the club’s then-coach, Thomas Tuchel.
As a result, he returned to Inter Milan on loan for the 2022-2023 season. He proved to be a decent striker while at Inter, and the club made steps to offer him a permanent deal ahead of the 2023-2024 season.
While the talks were ongoing, Inter Milan chose to recruit a new striker, 25-year-old Marcus Thuram on a free transfer from Borussia Mönchengladbach.
That move is said to have irritated the 30-year-old Lukaku, who chose to join Roma on loan from Chelsea rather than seal a permanent agreement with Inter.
Piero Ausilio stated in statements released by Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano earlier today, November 1, that Inter failed to sign Lukaku permanently because the Belgian striker refused to return phone calls.
“Lukaku? Deals can fall through, but respect should always be present,” he remarked.
“If someone disappears and doesn’t even answer phone calls… that was unacceptable” .
“The deal with Chelsea collapsed on July 8 after days and days trying to call him” .
Since joining Roma on loan on August 30, 2023, Romelu Lukaku has scored 8 goals in 11 games across all competitions.
