09 August 2023 , 19:09
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Romelu Lukaku won't be expecting a warm welcome if he manages to complete his swap move from Chelsea to Juventus.
Belgium's record goalscorer returned to his current club back in 2021 for a £97.5 million fee. But he failed to live up to the billing under Thomas Tuchel, scoring just eight times in the Premier League whilst reportedly trying to engineer a move back to Inter Milan.
He got his wish at the end of the campaign, heading back to the Italian giants on loan. But the 30-year-old failed to rediscover the form that previously saw him star in Inter's Serie A title win, and missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise in the Champions League final as the club were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City.
He also contrived to block the goal-bound effort of team-mate Federico Dimarco. The mishaps followed an indifferent World Cup for the player late last year, missing a host of opportunities in his country's final group game against Croatia as they crashed out early in Qatar.
Upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer, new manager Mauricio Pochettino wasted little time i n confirming that the 30-year-old wouldn't be returning to London. And talks for a proposed swap deal with Juventus duly began, with the Blues wanting striker Dusan Vlahovic in return.
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However, ultras of the Old Lady have made their feelings on the deal known, with the Curva Sud group unveiling a banner outside their Allianz Stadium on Tuesday night. Referring to Lukaku’s scuppering of Dimarco’s shot in Istanbul, their banner read: “Lukaku stay in Milan, we already have a second goalkeeper.”
Juventus ultras unveil their bannerHAVE YOUR SAY! Is Romelu Lukaku finished at the top level? Comment below.
They posted an image on their own social media page, and for good measure added they have "not forgotten what happened." Lukaku was initially set to join Juve when he first decided to leave Inter, but then chose Chelsea in a saga that angered both sets of Italian fans.
And it seems that the Juve supporters could get their wish. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport , the Blues are also prepared to offer £35million along with their unwanted star, but have hit a stumbling block with Vlahovic’s wage demands.
The Serbian is reportedly demanding to paid the same wages as Lukaku has been on, which stands at around £325,000-a-week. The 23-year-old struck 17 times for Juventus last season, and is now a priority signing for Pochettino following the injury to Christopher Nkunku.