Inter fans are not expected to give a friendly welcome to Romelu Lukaku tonight as Sky Sport Italia highlights a question the Belgian star has ‘never replied to.’
Lukaku will return to San Siro tonight when his Napoli side visit second-placed Inter.
A former Inter striker, Lukaku spent three seasons with the Nerazzurri. First between 2019 and 2021 and then in 2022-23, when he returned to the club on loan from Chelsea.
Inter were about to secure his signature on a permanent transfer from the Blues in the summer of 2023, but the striker surprisingly refused to finalise the deal, upsetting the club and some of his former teammates.
Lukaku didn’t even reply to phone calls from some of his ex-friends, such as Lautaro Martinez, but why he did so was never entirely clarified.
“It’s a question he never replied to,” Sky Sport journalist Matteo Barzaghi said live on TV on Sunday, hours before the kick-off at San Siro.
“Lukaku was a team leader and was on excellent terms with some players, so the most surprising thing was that he never explained his decision to some of his friends and didn’t pick up the phone, as Lautaro Martinez confirmed. They used to be friends, but they [Inter players] were left disappointed, so their relationship is nonexistent now.”
Inter fans are not expected to give their ex-striker a warm welcome this evening but have not prepared anything like last season when they brought thousands of whistles to the stadium when Lukaku returned with his former club, Roma.
Football Italia will be among the accredited media at San Siro tonight. The Football Italia Live Blog will provide live updates from the big match in Serie A Round 12.