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Inter Milan CEO: 'No one is thinking about Romelu Lukaku'

Inter CEO: 'No one is thinking about Romelu Lukaku'
© Reuters
Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta insists that no one at the club is thinking about Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian snubbed his former club in the summer transfer window.

Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has insisted that not a single person at the club is dwelling on Romelu Lukaku's decision to snub a return to San Siro this summer.

The Belgium international fired the Nerazzurri to the 2020-21 Serie A title with 24 top-flight goals under Antonio Conte, before departing in a £97.5m deal to Chelsea that same summer.

However, Lukaku struggled to reacclimatise to life back in the Premier League and made a rod for his own back with the fans after admitting that he was pining for a return to Serie A.

The 30-year-old's calls were answered last summer as he made the move back to Inter on a season-long loan, during which he scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 37 games, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana alongside picking up a Champions League runners-up medal.

Another stint at San Siro - either on loan or permanently - was mooted for Lukaku once the season had concluded, but the striker was also understood to have been in talks with Juventus, which allegedly left Inter feeling betrayed.

Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku reacts in August 2022© Reuters

A transfer to Juventus did not materialise for Lukaku, but the ex-Manchester United man has now reunited with Jose Mourinho at Roma and boasts seven goals from his first eight games for the Giallorossi.

Lukaku's move to Stadio Olimpico could be made permanent for £37m in the summer of 2024, and Marotta was recently asked about the striker's behaviour in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.

However, the Inter CEO insisted that the Chelsea man is no longer a topic of discussion at San Siro and refused to criticise his conduct, saying: "Lukaku represents our past, it's just our past," as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

"No one is thinking about him at Inter, not even one single person His behaviour? It happens in football. It's not the first time it happens."

While Marotta was willing to let bygones be bygones with Lukaku, the Nerazzurri chief hit out at former centre-back Milan Skriniar, who left the club to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer this summer.

Inter Milan's Milan Skriniar celebrates their third goal on October 12, 2022© Reuters

The Slovakia international blossomed into one of Europe's leading centre-backs during his time in the blue and black jersey, and he continued to be selected regularly while he was running his contract down.

Marotta revealed that Inter tried on numerous occasions to tie Skriniar down to fresh terms, but he always rebuffed their advances, and the 66-year-old blasted the defender for 'disrespecting' the club.

"Skriniar acted like he wanted to sign a new deal with us... but the reality is that his mind was on something else," Marotta added. "I felt disappointed by Skriniar. He disrespected Inter. We offered him multiple solutions including release clause... he always said no."

Marotta also took a swipe at Skriniar while lavishing praise on club captain Lautaro Martinez, who has turned down interest from elsewhere to continue at San Siro, adding: "Lautaro is not like Skriniar.

"If he wants to stay, we're also keen on a new deal and we will be on the right way together. It's great to have a player who rejects many top clubs in order to stay where he is."

Martinez leads the way in the Serie A scoring charts with 10 goals from just eight games this season, although Inter are two points behind leaders AC Milan at the top of the standings.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CInter Milan37296287206793
2AC Milan37228773462774
3Bologna371814554302468
4Juventus371814552312168
5Atalanta BCAtalanta362061067392866
6Roma371891064442063
7Lazio371861348381060
8Fiorentina361591255421354
9Torino371314103633353
10Napoli371313115548752
11Genoa371113134345-246
12Monza371112143949-1045
13Hellas VeronaHellas Verona37910183649-1337
14Lecce37813163254-2237
15CagliariCagliari37812174065-2536
16FrosinoneFrosinone37811184468-2435
17Udinese37519133653-1734
18Empoli3789202753-2633
RSassuoloSassuolo3778224274-3229
RSalernitana37210252978-4916


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