Lukaku against Juve, from missed marriages to constant quarrels

Romelu Lukaku has come twice close to wearing the Juventus shirt. On the last occasion, in 2019, he jumped due to the will of third parties: he and the Juventus club were ready to sign and start the marriage, which had already faded away five years earlier. The Belgian striker was the protagonist of the last Juve-Inter in the Italian Cup: he equalized the score from the penalty spot with time running out and allowed Inzaghi to still hope for the final by postponing everything to the second leg which will be played in a month at San Syrian. But he too found himself in the midst of the final tumult for that exultation deemed by the referee to be provocative towards the Juventus fans, who then directed racist chants at him. In general, a bad finish at the Stadium, indecorous, from which no one comes out well.

IN 2019

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The Inter striker could have lived the evening in reversed roles. And it all dates back to the night of August 4, 2019, when only a few details of the agreement between Dybala and Manchester United were missing for his arrival in Turin. Nothing that could hinder the work of that table now sent towards the operation: an exchange between two players with different characteristics, but who would have solved everyone’s needs. Juve was looking for a partner for Cristiano Ronaldo: Lukaku had imagined him as the black and white Benzema. Dybala, on the other hand, would bring quality and imagination to Manchester United. But it vanished because Joya was not convinced of leaving Turin (he hoped the margins could widen to return central to the black and white project and discuss the renewal) and then the Red Devils took a step back. The center forward instead landed in Inter Milan, finally embracing Antonio Conte.

IN 2014

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The former Juve coach would have wanted him in Turin as early as 2014. In that transfer market session, the Bianconeri negotiated with Chelsea for a long time, but even on that occasion the talks took a different turn on the final stages of the negotiation. This time by the will of the attacker. “When I chose to leave Chelsea permanently, I had the opportunity to go to Juventus. But I don’t know why, I didn’t feel like it – the story of Lukaku himself years later -. Something didn’t convince me. And the next day Conte left Juve. And then I thought, ‘Thank God I didn’t go.’ Although I believe Allegri is a great coach, I decided to go to Everton. He was a good choice ”. The Liverpool club took him for 35 million. While Conte, among the not so veiled dreams of Juventus fans for a new parenthesis on the bench in the near future, remains one of the coaches Lukaku is closest to.

INSULTS AT THE STADIUM

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The return to Inter, last summer, was characterized by another curious meeting with Dybala. This time the Belgian won the ballot over the Argentine, who negotiated for a long time with the Nerazzurri club but then found himself having to change plans in the middle of summer. Lukaku was the symbol of the last Nerazzurri scudetto, which sanctioned the end of Juventus’ domination in Serie A after nine consecutive seasons: perhaps also for this reason the treatment that Juventus fans reserved for him went a little further. The double yellow, after the exultation for the 1-1 goal, will cost him disqualification in the second leg: he will have to rely on his teammates to hope to play in the final of the Coppa Italia this year, and therefore give himself the chance to win a second trophy with the Nerazzurri shirt. While his approach to Juve now seems to belong to a distant time. Then, it is clear: if one day Antonio Conte calls him back…