Did Conte see Lukaku’s Inter exit coming?
With Romelu Lukaku seemingly on the verge of a €130m transfer to Chelsea, Inter fans are looking back at what Antonio Conte said when he walked out on the club.
Multiple sources including Sky Sport Italia and Sportitalia report this evening that Lukaku has informed the Nerazzurri directors he wants a return to Stamford Bridge.
President Steven Zhang, directors Piero Ausilio and Beppe Marotta had repeatedly assured fans that the project remained ambitious, even if they had to cut costs drastically in the wake of financial problems.
Conte terminated his contract by mutual consent just days after winning the Scudetto and now supporters are looking back at the reasons he gave, realising the Lukaku exit was always possible at the right price.
“What I can say is that my project never changed,” Conte told La Gazzetta dello Sport in June.
“I don’t want to create controversy or talk about transfers. I respect Zhang and I thank him for choosing me. I love Inter, the club and their fans.
“The market sets the price, but had I been obsessed by money, I would have stayed where I was in the past. I would have accepted compromises and obtained new contracts.
“I look for the projects instead and I am ready to stay at home if something is not convincing me. It has to do with vision, honesty and principles.”
President Zhang had also hinted that the issue with Conte was a downgrading of the project from Scudetto-winners to merely aiming for the top four.
“The pandemic had already hit our revenue streams hard last summer, but we continued with him, concentrated on a season we were convinced we could win. It was the right decision,” the Suning chief had said in June.
“But now the cost of the pandemic is so great that we cannot help but reconsider the situation and try to cut costs. Obviously, that also influences our transfer strategy.
“Our different points of view on that situation led us to this separation. What was not fundamental for him, was for the club. And vice versa. Conte is a top coach, but as a President, I have to think of the solidity of this club.”