MX23RW : Monday, May 13 08:02:26| >> :120:79433:79433:

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.

ID:526803:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5115:

Click here for more stories about Milan Skriniar

Click here for more stories about Inter Milan

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
 Inter Milan's Alexis Sanchez is seen on the pitch, January 6, 2022
Read Next:
Alexis Sanchez in line to return to Inter Milan?
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CInter Milan36295286196792
2AC Milan36228672432974
3Bologna361813551272467
4Juventus361813549282167
5Atalanta BCAtalanta351961065392663
6Roma361791063441960
7Lazio361851347371059
8Napoli361312115346751
9Fiorentina341481251391250
10Torino361214103332150
11Genoa361113124344-146
12Monza351112123846-845
13Lecce35813143250-1837
14Hellas VeronaHellas Verona36810183448-1434
15CagliariCagliari36712173865-2733
16FrosinoneFrosinone36711184368-2532
17Empoli3688202652-2632
18Udinese35418133352-1930
19SassuoloSassuolo3678214272-3029
RSalernitana36210242876-4816


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!