Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has suggested that the offer of a new deal would have seen him stay at Inter Milan instead of returning to Stamford Bridge, while also revealing he turned down the chance to join Manchester City in 2020.
The Belgium international forward penned a five-year deal in west London this summer as the Blues paid £97m for his services.
He has endured a somewhat frustrating start to life back with Chelsea, having netted seven goals in his opening 18 matches in all competitions for the club having been hampered by injury and Covid-19.
Whilst Lukaku did not hide his delight having sealed a return to the club he has supported since he was a child, he did admit that he would happily have stayed with the Serie A champions had he been offered a new deal, whilst also confirming a move to Manchester City had also been on the cards.
Talking to Sky in Italy, he said: "When I was at Inter, at the end of the first year, I turned down an offer from Manchester City, which was higher than Chelsea's this summer.
"I did it because it had only been a year, it wasn't the right time to leave and I didn't want to. I wanted to do something good for Inter, because I have to say that Inter saved my career to some extent.
"I was in a deep hole at Manchester United, things weren't going well. I was a big investment for Inter but we did great things together.
"So the second year after we won the Scudetto, I went to speak with club chiefs and asked for a new contract. I did it because I told myself 'I'm 28 years old, my family feels great in Milan, I still have my flat there, my mother and my son could come and live there and we would all feel comfortable.'
"But they didn't want to extend my contract, the possibility wasn't there. It was tough for me to accept, because in my head I told myself that I would be able to do a few more years in Milan."
Who should Chelsea look to keep, loan or sell this January? Have your say from the options below
Lukaku’s current Chelsea deal is set to run until the summer of 2026, and should he see that through, he will depart the club at 33 years of age.
Despite admitting some current frustrations at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian is now in an improved run of form, having netted three goals in his last three appearances in all competitions.
We’ve teamed up with LiveScore to invite fans to vote for their favourite results - the games which were much more than a score. Vote for the match that mattered to you here
