Romelu Lukaku left Inter for Chelsea to double his salary, asserts Beppe Marotta
Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta has hit out at Romelu Lukaku and claimed that the Belgian forward left the San Siro for Chelsea in order to double his salary. The 28-year-old forward signed for the Blues in a move worth £98 million this summer with the Nerazzurri signing Edin Dzeko as a replacement.
With Inter Milan entering the 2021 summer window in serious financial trouble, it saw the club lose manager Antonio Conte with the Italian unwilling to be at the club any longer. His departure was followed by Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku, with the two stars leaving for big fees to PSG and Chelsea respectively. However, while the Hakimi move was on the cards for more than a few weeks, Chelsea’s move for Lukaku came out of nowhere.
The Belgian was reportedly happy at the San Siro and wasn’t looking to leave the club but eventually re-signed with the Stamford Bridge outfit in a move worth £98 million although the club was also looking at a move for Lautaro Martinez. However, now Beppe Marotta has hit out at Lukaku and revealed that the Belgian left Inter “to double his salary”. The Inter Milan CEO further added that the figures Lukaku was asking for doesn’t even exist in Italy.
“Lukaku was sold for €115m and we bought Dzeko for free. On the pitch, there isn’t much difference. Lukaku left to double his salary, in Italy these figures can’t exist. Today, we can’t make important investments, I wouldn’t be allowed to sign Lukaku for €75m (£63m/$87m). We need reduced and specific investments,” Marotta said, reported Goal.