Juventus Urged to Stay Clear of Romelu Lukaku by F1 Mogul as Chelsea Look to Offload Egoist Striker

“I’m not happy with the situation at Chelsea. [Thomas] Tuchel has chosen to play with another system.” If there was one point in Romelu Lukaku‘s soccer career that marked his downfall, it was these words he said to Sky Italia in 2021. These words—followed by his persistent claims about wanting to return to Inter Milan—made him a Chelsea reject. The Belgian player made waves in West London the first time he joined Chelsea in 2011, making his highly-anticipated, then-record $125 million return in 2021 that much more exciting. But the only aspect of his that seemed to have gone up a notch, instead of his game, was his ego. So Chelsea did him (and itself) a favor and sent him back to where he came from (unfortunately, only on loan)—Inter.

Even though Lukaku got what he wanted—his beloved Inter—his game didn’t seem to improve. The Italian club and its fans sensed it just as they did in Chelsea, and guess what? Inter Milan doesn’t want him anymore, either, especially after his highly underwhelming performance during the 2023 Champions League Final that cost Inter its fourth title. Over the past few months, though, he’s reportedly been in negotiations with Juventus. With Chelsea looking to offload him for good and Inter having shown interest for some reason, Lukaku jeopardized his own future in Italy with the negotiations. You know the situation is bad when it’s not just soccer moguls discouraging his signing but also a Formula 1 mogul.

Former Ferrari President and Juventus manager Luca Cordero di Montezemolo was asked in a recent interview if he would sign Lukaku, comparing him to Charles Leclerc and his situation at Ferrari. As quoted by sport.quotidiano.net, Montezemolo said, “Lukaku made Inter lose the Champions League. Charles, on the other hand, I would certainly confirm it, he’s good, and I don’t think there are free drivers stronger than him.” [Translated by Google]

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Had Montezemolo still been with Juventus, Lukaku would’ve run out of European options, seeing as neither Chelsea nor Inter want him. The only option he has left is to transfer to a Saudi club, as many Chelsea teammates of his have recently done. To make matters worse, Montezemolo isn’t the only Juventus-related person to show his disapproval of Lukaku.

Juventus fans join the “Romelu Lukaku: Public Enemy No.1” club

With Inter having pulled out of the race to sign Lukaku and Chelsea dying to get him off its plate, his only hope to stay in Europe is with Juventus. The only way that can happen is for Juventus to sell Dusan Vlahovic. While a swap deal between Chelsea and Juventus could’ve solved the conundrum, it seems as though the Blues aren’t interested in a swap. Lukaku’s hopes to join Juventus are dwindling as every day passes, and considering his links to Inter, Juventus is losing interest too. Juventus fans made their feelings clear too.

In a pre-season friendly against AC Milan at Allianz Stadium, Juve fans chanted, “Noi Lukaku non lo vogliamo” throughout the game, which translates to “We don’t want Lukaku.” After the final whistle, they stormed onto the field to protest his signing. It wasn’t just Juve fans that were furious with the striker. After hearing about his negotiations with Juventus, Inter vice president Javier Zanetti said, as quoted by talksport.com, “Given what Inter has done for him, we expected him to behave differently, as a professional and as a man.”

His actions to go behind Inter’s back to have talks with Juventus contradict what he said to Sky Italia about staying at Chelsea, saying that he’ll handle the situation as a professional. It turns out he’s neither a professional nor someone teams want to work with anymore. What could be worse than that for Lukaku? 

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