Former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has accused the club of deliberately tarnishing his image in the media after deciding they no longer wanted him back in 2023.
The Belgian, now with Napoli, had two spells at Stamford Bridge—first as a teenager and later when he rejoined from Inter Milan in an £89 million move, a decade after initially signing for the club.
However, his return to West London turned into a disaster.
Less than six months into his second spell, Lukaku gave a controversial interview with Sky Italia, criticising Chelsea and manager Thomas Tuchel while expressing his desire to return to Inter, a wish that was granted the following summer when he rejoined the Nerazzurri on loan.
Upon his return to Chelsea, he was sidelined, forced to train alone or with the club's youth teams as they sought to negotiate a permanent sale.
Following another loan spell with AS Roma in 2023/24 and yet another summer training alone, he was finally sold to Napoli for £30 million last summer.
In a new interview with Corriere dello Sport, the 31-year-old forward has now opened up about his turbulent Chelsea return, accusing the club of attempting to damage his reputation.
“I wasn’t alone at Chelsea, [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Hakim] Ziyech were also out of the project,” Lukaku told the Italian newspaper. “They made us change in the youth locker room. It’s business, the club tells you it doesn’t want you anymore and often also where you’ll end up."
“But if you want to leave, even for serious reasons, you don’t have the option. They drag it out until the last moment, they wear you down," he added.
The Belgium international continued: “Clubs have relationships with the media, and it doesn’t take much to put a player in a difficult position or create the wrong image."
“Believe me, I’ve seen things I never thought I would," he said. "One day, I’d like to explain all of this to younger players, who is really working for them and who is working against them.”
Elsewhere in his interview with Corriere dello Sport, Lukaku, who has scored nine goals in Serie A for Napoli this season, revealed his intention to end his career at his boyhood club, Anderlecht.
The powerhouse forward came through the academy at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, making 98 appearances and scoring 41 goals before being sold to Chelsea in 2011 for £17 million.
"I will finish my career with Anderlecht, the club of my heart. I promised my son that I will still return," he said.
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