Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly 'broke his relationship' with Romelu Lukaku after he made a joke that 'didn't go down very well' with the Belgian forward.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that Lukaku has re-joined Serie A side Inter Milan on a season-long loan from Chelsea, just a year after leaving the Italian giants for Stamford Bridge.
The 29-year-old, who scored 15 goals in 44 games for the Blues last season, will have all his wages covered by Inter, while Simone Inzaghi's side will pay Chelsea a loan fee of £6.9m plus £3.5m in bonuses if they win the Scudetto.
Welcome back Rom :blue_heart: pic.twitter.com/VNnIZyMjs5
- Inter (@Inter) June 29, 2022
Lukaku, who says he was in contact with Inzaghi throughout last season, says it feels like "coming home" after re-joining the club.
"I didn't even leave my home when I went to England, which shows how happy I am to be back here," he added. "Now I just want to see the guys on the pitch."
The Belgium international's delight at leaving Chelsea after a mediocre campaign in the Premier League has brought plenty of comments from fans on social media.
In fact, GOAL reporter Nizaar Kinsella gave some fascinating insight into Lukaku's 'broken' relationship with Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel during a recent episode of The Italian Football Podcast.
Kinsella claims the pair were watching a game involving Spurs when Tuchel made a "daddy" comment about former Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte. It didn't go down well.
"To see him talk so highly of Inter [during the Sky Italia interview] was an insult to Chelsea fans. It broke the relationship with them," he said.
"And there was another incident behind the scenes that wasn't televised or anything like that.
"Someone told me that Lukaku and Tuchel were watching a Tottenham game and Tuchel said, 'There's your daddy', about Antonio Conte. It was just a joke, but apparently, it didn't go down very well with Lukaku."
You can see the full clip of Kinsella speaking about the incident below.
:rotating_light: ATTENZIONE :rotating_light:
- The Italian Football Podcast (@ItaFootPod) June 29, 2022
Ep.233
:speaking_head: #LukakuIsBack @Inter_en w. @NizaarKinsella
- #LukakuDay breakdown of move :moneybag:
- Why it went wrong at #ChelseaFC
- #Tuchel joke to #Lukaku "#AntonioConte your daddy" :flushed:
- How good will #LaDyLuk be at #Inter w #Dybala & #Lautaro be :fire:
Much more pic.twitter.com/BDuzpWeV0v
It was reported last week that Lukaku 'was moved to tears' when Inter Milan struck an agreement with Chelsea over a season-long loan.
Italian outlet Gazetta dello Sport claim he became emotional when his lawyer Sebastien Ledure broke the news about his move after talks had stalled when Inter president Steven Zhang attempted to restructure the financial package.
The striker has agreed to a 30 per cent pay cut in order to secure a move back to the San Siro.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Spurs, Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel, Premier League, Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Conte
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- Antonio Conte sends message to Thomas Tuchel after heated touchline exchange
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