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Tag: lukaku

  • Lukaku brothers lament  non release of late father’s body in Kinshasa

    Lukaku brothers lament  non release of late father’s body in Kinshasa

    Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku and former Lazio defender Jordan Lukaku announced they were being ‘extorted’ by people refusing to release their father’s body for his funeral in Belgium.

    The brothers grew up in a football family, as their father Roger played as a centre-forward for Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and spent most of his career in Belgium at various clubs until retirement in 2007.

    Both his sons went on to represent Belgium at international level, but he died last month in the Democratic Republic of Congo, aged 58.

    Romelu and Jordan Lukaku yes released a joint statement on social media revealing their plans for a funeral in Belgium had been ruined by a shocking situation.

    “As you may know we planned to have the funeral this Friday but because of certain decisions being made in Kinshasa will the funeral take place over there,” read the statement.

    “Our dad passed away on the 28 of September and we as Brothers tried everything to bring his corpse back to Europe but we felt that we were being extorted by some people…

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    “If our father was here today he wouldn’t accept it. It breaks our soul for us to not put our father to rest. But some people didn’t want it.

    “We understand know why our dad used to keep us away from a lot of people…

    “God bless your soul.”

    Romelu Lukaku is currently staying in Belgium for treatment to a serious muscular injury, which means he is not expected to be able to play again for Napoli until at least November or December.

    Full-back Jordan is a free agent, as the 31-year-old’s contract with Turkish side Adanaspor was terminated in October 2024.

    While in Italy, he played for Lazio and Vicenza from 2016 to 2022.

  • Lukaku back for Belgium in bid for Nations League quarters

    Lukaku back for Belgium in bid for Nations League quarters

    Belgium have recalled top scorer Romelu Lukaku to their 23-man squad for their last two Nations League group matches against Italy and Israel as they make a last-ditch effort to reach the quarter-finals, coach Domenico Tedesco said.

    Lukaku was left out of the squad for their opening four Nations League matches over the last two months. In September it was because of his impending move to Napoli and last month Tedesco said his absence was because he was not yet fit although in a subsequent interview, Lukaku said he was not mentally ready.

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    Yet Tedesco said at a press conference on Friday that Lukaku was eager to return for the matches against Italy in Brussels next Thursday and away to Israel in Budapest, Hungary on Nov. 17.

    “He had no hesitation to return. He is one of the best strikers in world football. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody any more. His qualities are key for us and he’s also important off the pitch. He’s a natural leader and is very good helping the young players,” the coach said.

  • Lukaku beats Osimhen’s Napoli  scoring feat

    Lukaku beats Osimhen’s Napoli  scoring feat

    Italian news outlet, Football Italia, has detailed  how Napoli new striker Romelu Lukaku has seamlessly  fit into the  top striking position left by Nigerian International striker, Victor Osimhen  following his  season-long loan deal to Galatasaray.

    Lukaku  reportedly scored his first goal from open play in over a month against Milan, but the Belgian striker has netted one more than Victor Osimhen two years ago.

    Napoli are unbeaten in eight Serie A matches and secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Milan at San Siro on Tuesday. Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia continued to impress as their goals gave the Partenopei all three points.

    Read Also: Lukaku  nearly suffered  depression over Belgium’s 2022 World Cup early exit

    Lukaku had attracted some mild criticism before the Milan clash as he had not scored from open play for over a month. The ex-Inter striker replied by putting his name on the score sheet after just five minutes at San Siro, netting his fourth goal in eight appearances.

    It’s one more than Victor Osimhen managed in the opening ten rounds of the 2022-23 campaign, which ended with Napoli’s Scudetto victory and the Nigerian star’s Capocannoniere award.

    Lukaku has also provided four assists in Serie A this season, bringing his total goal contributions to eight, one for each appearance on average.

    Lukaku joined Napoli from Chelsea at the end of August, so he did not feature in the season’s first two games. On the other hand, Osimhen had missed four of the opening ten games in 2022-23 due to a hamstring injury.

  • Lukaku reveals secret behind transfer to Napoli

    Lukaku reveals secret behind transfer to Napoli

    Lukaku snubbed a Belgium call-up for October games against Italy and France as he wanted to remain in Naples to continue training.

     “I thought staying with my team and work was best for me,” the striker told TG1. “Last season, I didn’t do any pre-season preparation, and I paid for it.”

    Lukaku reunited with his ex-Inter coach Antonio Conte at the Stadio Maradona, completing a permanent transfer from Chelsea.

     “It’s important. I think everyone knows my relationship with him,” Lukaku said. “He knows my past and my family, which makes a big difference.”

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    A former striker for Manchester United, Everton and Chelsea in England, Lukaku has also played for Inter and Roma in Serie A.

     “I played in the Premier League, but Serie A really is coming back,” he noted.

    Napoli are the current Serie A leaders, but Lukaku urged his teammates to keep their feet on the ground.

     “We must remain calm. It’s just the beginning,” he said.

  • Lukaku dumps Belgium for Napoli until 2025

    Lukaku dumps Belgium for Napoli until 2025

    According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli striker Romelu Lukaku has informed the Belgian federation that he won’t play for his national team until the new year as he’s entirely focused on his new club.

    Lukaku won’t play for the Belgium national team again in 2024. The striker has reportedly informed his federation that he wants to focus solely on his new club, Napoli, until 2025.

    Lukaku has not been included in the Belgium squad for upcoming Nations League games against Italy and France.

    Read Also: Fans beg NFF not to retain Eguavoen for Super Eagles

    According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lukaku decided not to play international games until the new year as he needed time to settle in at his new club.

    Lukaku joined Antonio Conte’s Napoli on a permanent transfer from Chelsea last summer and has scored two goals in five appearances across all competitions this term, providing three assists.

    The 31-year-old, a former Inter and Roma striker, has 85 goals in 119 appearances with the Belgium national team

  • Conte’s choice of Lukaku over Osimhen queried

    Conte’s choice of Lukaku over Osimhen queried

    Top Italian journalist Antonio Corbo has questioned the insistence of Napoli’s new coach Antonio Conte to make Romelu Lukaku as the arrow head of his attack in the new season.

    The Repubblica journalist said Victor Osimhen is a rough diamond that Conte ought to have patience with and the new coach should consider a younger striker than Lukaku to lead his strike force.

    “I greet the possible farewell of Osimhen with regret and I welcome the possible arrival of Lukaku with good wishes,” Corbo told Radio Punto Zero show

    Read Also: PSG to revive bid for Osimhen as Conte favours Lukaku

    “I have my doubts about entrusting the Napoli attack for the next three years to a 31-year-old striker (Lukaku), that means this is a short-term project.

    “I respect what Conte has done, but I would have preferred a younger striker to lead the Napoli attack for many years.

    “I am for courageous professionals who put themselves on the line, Osimhen is a rough diamond, a very important player, and if I were Conte, I would have tried to put Victor back to his top level.

  • PSG to revive bid for Osimhen as Conte favours Lukaku

    PSG to revive bid for Osimhen as Conte favours Lukaku

    New Napoli coach Antonio Conte  is  reportedly aiming for a reunion with Chelsea-owned striker Romelu Lukaku at the Stadio Maradona, but the Partenopei will first need to find a new home for current talisman Victor Osimhen, who continues to be linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

    According to Football Italia, Napoli have been making moves to reinforce their defensive unit – Rafa Marin is now on the ground in Italy and Alessandro Buongiorno has a medical booked in at the beginning of this week – but  Lukaku remains the next priority for Conte.

    The pair enjoyed a particularly successful spell together at Inter, which resulted in a Scudetto win in 2020-21 and 24 league goals for the Belgian.

    Lukaku has two years remaining on his Chelsea contract, and is believed to be available at a price of €44m this summer, despite the fact that he re-joined the Blues for a fee of €115m directly after the Serie A title victory.

    However, Napoli will not be able to sign Lukaku unless they move Osimhen on first. The Nigerian striker has a release clause in the contract he re-negotiated earlier in the 2023-24 season, believed to be worth €130m.

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    A number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and the aforementioned Chelsea had reportedly looked at signing Osimhen this summer, but are seemingly not interested in paying well over €100m for a new striker.

    Reports from Corriere dello Sport claimed  that PSG is still the most likely destination for Osimhen in Europe, though there is reported interest from Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.

    PSG are still on the lookout for a replacement for Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe. They had briefly discussed the possibility of signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli, but those negotiations did not go down particularly well with Partenopei President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

    Corriere dello Sport suggested  that PSG could re-enter talks with Napoli for Osimhen, which, if successful, would effectively clear the path for Conte to snap up a deal for Lukaku.

  • Chelsea may offload Lukaku for Osimhen

    Chelsea may offload Lukaku for Osimhen

    Chelsea plan to finally offload Romelu Lukaku in January so that they could have the cash to sign Victor Osimhen, according to various reports.

    Calciomercato.com has reported that Osimhen is now top priority transfer target for the London club and want to sign him when the transfer window reopens in January.

    Lukaku is on loan at AS Roma and he has made it very clear he does not wish to return to the Premier League club.

    ‘The Blues’ will need to break the bank to sign Osimhen as he still has a contract with Napoli until June 2025.

    Read Also: Lukaku agrees to join Roma on loan from Chelsea

    The relationship between the Super Eagles striker and the Italian champions has severally been tested recently to spark off speculations the player now wishes out.

    Transfermarkt values Osimhen, 24, at 120 Million Euros, but Napoli will demand far in excess of this figure for a transfer to happen.

    A recent Transfermarkt special report narrowed Osimhen’s next destination to Chelsea and Arsenal.

  • Lukaku agrees to join Roma on loan from Chelsea

    Lukaku agrees to join Roma on loan from Chelsea

    Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has agreed to join Italian side Roma on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

    The 30-year-old returns to Serie A having spent last season on loan with Inter Milan, helping them reach the Champions League final.

    He is reported to have turned down a lucrative move to Saudi Pro League.

    “The welcome that this club and these fans gave me thrilled me and represents a further incentive to give everything for my new team,” Lukaku said.

    Read Also: Lukaku completes loan move  to Roma

    Lukaku is believed to have accepted a wage cut to be reunited with coach Jose Mourinho at Roma.

    Mourinho briefly managed Lukaku in 2013-14, during the striker’s first spell at Chelsea, before the Portuguese signed him for Manchester United from Everton in 2017 for £75m.

    Lukaku added: “I had the opportunity to speak with the owners in recent days and I was struck by their ambition.

    “Now we have to work, be humble and grow game after game. For my part, I can’t wait to make myself available to my teammates, on and off the field.”

    More to follow.

  • Lukaku completes loan move  to Roma

    Lukaku completes loan move  to Roma

    Romelu Lukaku completed his season-long loan move to Roma from Chelsea yesterday  after being welcomed as a hero by supporters.

    Roma are yet to make their official announcement but Serie A have confirmed that the deal is done on their list of completed transfers.

    Thousands of fans greeted Belgium striker Lukaku after he touched down at Ciampino airport just outside the Italian capital on Tuesday, his arrival a boost for Roma following a worrying start to the new Serie A season.

    Italian media report that Chelsea accepted Roma’s offer of around six million euros ($6.5 million) to take outcast Lukaku for this season, giving the Italians the striker they have been looking for since Tammy Abraham damaged knee ligaments at the end of last season.

    Lukaku has agreed to take a pay cut from nearly 11 million euros to around 7.5 million euros in order to move to Roma, who are operating under a Financial Fair Play settlement agreement made with UEFA.

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    Roma have collected one point from their first two matches and their inability to convert dominance into goals was fully on display during Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Verona.

    Chelsea meanwhile have been trying to permanently offload Lukaku all summer in a bid to end a disastrous transfer which cost the Premier League club a 115 million euro purchase fee from Inter Milan and his whopping annual salary.

    But talks with Inter – where he was loaned back to last season – collapsed reportedly after the club discovered he had been secretly talking to their biggest rivals Juve and AC Milan.

    Instead he has been reunited with his former coach at Manchester United Jose Mourinho as the capital club try to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2018.