- Lukaku embroiled in summer transfer saga
- Snubbed Inter before joining Roma
- Accused of lack of "respect"
WHAT HAPPENED? After being deemed surplus to requirements at parent club Chelsea, the Belgian soon dominated the summer transfer window headlines. A permanent return to Inter - the club he helped end an 11-year wait for the Scudetto back in 2021 - appeared a near certainty for Lukaku, but he changed tact at the 11th hour and began talks with Juventus. Inter then pulled out of negotiations and the forward eventually joined Roma on loan amid mass fan protests in Turin, but Ausilio's words to Radio Serie A suggest some bad feeling still remains in Milan.
WHAT THEY SAID: The Inter sporting director said: "I prefer not to talk about a player currently at another club, I have never done that in recent months. I say that I like to think about the present and the future, Lukaku is part of the past: with him we won a Scudetto, lost two finals and he brought us an important capital gain. What happened? I prefer not to talk about it.
"All I'm saying is that there has to be politeness and respect: things were obviously going on, but at a certain point these conditions came to an end. There are deals that do not get done, but if there is respect it is never a problem. When, on the other hand, one hides or sends replies via other people, then one thinks about moving on. For me it is a closed chapter since July 8, there are no regrets. The famous phone call to Lukaku? It was something decided, nothing special. I told Romelu what I thought, after I hadn't been able to contact him for a while."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: After Lukaku's deal to Roma was wrapped up on transfer deadline day, so far it is Ausilio and Inter who have had the last laugh. Simone Inzaghi's side sit two points clear at the Serie A summit, with their last win coming against the capital club on Sunday. A solitary Marcus Thuram strike was the difference at San Siro, where Lukaku was greeted by a ferocious reception from the home crowd.
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GOALWHAT NEXT FOR LUKAKU? Roma currently sit ninth in the league, five points off the Champions League places, and will look to bounce back against Lecce on Sunday. Lukaku, meanwhile, will be hoping to add to his league tally of five goals in eight appearances and end his two-game goalscoring drought.