Belgium’s Radja Nainggolan has revealed how he warned Romelu Lukaku against returning to Chelsea last summer.
Lukaku completed a €100m+ move back to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window after two very successful years with Inter Milan.
He had originally moved to Italy after struggling with Manchester United and quickly became a success in Serie A under Antonio Conte’s leadership, going on to score 64 goals and registering 16 assists in 95 games for the club.
It was those numbers which prompted Chelsea to bring him back to London as they sought out an elite level striker to build on their Champions League success.
After a bright start, though, Lukaku has quickly found himself out of the picture under Thomas Tuchel, spending most of the season sat on the bench as Kai Havertz has been preferred upfront.
It’s extremely likely Lukaku will now leave Chelsea again in the summer, and Nainggolan has admitted he told him not to make the move in the first place.
“I told him that he made the wrong choice in leaving Inter,” RTBF report him saying.
“He was the king there. He was perhaps the best striker in the world. But he couldn’t say no to the club of his heart.
“This is the third time he’s gone to Chelsea; this is the third time it didn’t work out.
“He says the team was built around him, but the system wasn’t working. So the coach opted for other players, smaller in size, who run a lot. And the results followed.”
