Romelu Lukaku left Manchester United for Italy in the summer, but his agent has revealed that another transfer had a knock-on effect and the Belgian striker might have taken a rather different path.
Out of favour at centre-forward under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Lukaku made the decision to depart Old Trafford, with his transfer fee being well over £70 million in the end.
And it was originally Juventus who seemed destined to sign him—as a replacement for Paulo Dybala.
“If Lukaku is wearing the Inter shirt today, it’s only because of Dybala’s failure to join Manchester United,” said Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello, talking to Sky Sports Italia.
The Argentinian was wanted by both United and Tottenham, but a move never materialised as he opted to stay under Maurizio Sarri, meaning Juventus didn’t need a new addition themselves.
That didn’t change Lukaku’s stance of wanting out, allowing Inter Milan to swoop in—and the level of determination on the part of manager Antonio Conte to get Lukaku in made all the difference.
“Romelu wanted to leave the Premier League and move to a club where he felt loved
“He immediately noticed the affection and warmth of the Inter fans compared to those of Juve, and this made the difference.
“Lukaku’s arrival at Juve would have pleased many fans, but for Inter his engagement instead represented a turning point after the arrival of Antonio Conte, the intention to try to start a winning cycle.
“He perceived this immediately, even on social media. He felt wanted at Inter. Conte put a lot of pressure on the club to have the player.”
The move has proven to be beneficial for both parties so far, with Inter launching a sustained title challenge up until the couple of weeks preceding the current pause in play.
Lukaku, and his partnership with Lautaro Martinez, has been a huge part of that.
The Belgian striker has netted 23 goals across all competitions for his new club, while Dybala has managed 13 for Juve despite not commanding a guaranteed starting spot.
Neither Spurs nor Man United ended up signing a striker in the summer, though the latter did add Odion Ighalo to their squad in January.
