Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku spent last season on loan at Inter Milan and they were keen on bringing him back to the San Siro last summer.
The Serie A side held talks with the Blues to keep him but no deal took shape. In the end, the striker joined AS Roma on a loan deal towards the end of the same window.
Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta has suggested that it was best that the Chelsea owned player didn’t accept the transfer, and his quotes are relayed by Il Resto del Carlino.
On the Lukaku deal, he said: “We had taken Thuram anyway, but if Lukaku had accepted we would have found ourselves with him, Martínez and Thuram. Maybe there wouldn’t have been the same chemistry we have with Marcus and Lautaro.”
Marcus Thuram joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer last summer and he’s forged a partnership with the Argentina international. The Frenchman has 12 goals and 11 assists from 34 games while Martínez has 23 goals and five assists from 32 games this season.
Last September, Marotta had stated that Inter were disappointed over their failure to sign the Chelsea man. With his latest comments, he now seems to have changed his stance, due to the fine displays of both Thuram and Martínez.
Lukaku, on the other hand, has 16 goals and two assists from 32 games for Roma this season. He’ll have to return to the west London club in the summer and has refused to talk about his future plans.
