Lukaku claims he rejected advances from Manchester City last year

Romelu Lukaku says he turned down a higher-paying offer from Man City in 2020; the Belgian striker would have “100%” stayed at Inter Milan if the club had fulfilled his demand for a new contract in the summer; Lukaku believes he deserves more game time at Chelsea.

Romelu Lukaku claims he turned down a move to Manchester City in 2020 and only switched to Chelsea after his desire for a new contract in Italy was denied down this summer.

Lukaku said he was “not satisfied” with his situation at Chelsea in a 29-minute interview with Sky in Italy earlier in December, criticising Thomas Tuchel’s method and discussing the possibility of returning to Inter while still playing at a “high enough level.”

Tuchel said that the statements are “unhelpful” since they “create noise that we don’t need,” but insisted that the striker appears to be at ease at Chelsea.

Lukaku claimed in the second half of the interview, which was posted on Friday, that he elected to stay in Italy last summer and that he would “100%” still be there if the club granted him his demand of a new contract in the summer.

“I turned down an offer from Manchester City at the end of my first year at Inter, which was higher than Chelsea’s this summer,” Lukaku revealed.

“I did it because it had just been a year, I didn’t want to go, and it wasn’t the proper moment. I wanted to do something positive for Inter because, to some sense, Inter salvaged my career.

“At Manchester United, I was in a deep hole, and things weren’t going well. Inter put a lot of money into me, but we accomplished a lot together.

“So the second year after we won the Scudetto, I approached the club’s management and requested a new contract. I did it because I convinced myself that I’m 28 years old, my family is happy in Milan, I still have my flat there, and my mother and son could live there and we’d all be happy.

“However, they did not wish to prolong my contract because the opportunity was not available. It was difficult for me to accept because I had convinced myself that I could stay in Milan for a few more years.”

“Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are the three absolute finest teams in football, in my opinion. Every player aspires to one day play for one of these teams. So I decided that if the opportunity arose, I would sign a new deal with Inter and then go there.

“But it didn’t happen, so I told myself that I could only envision myself playing for one team: Chelsea. I wasn’t planning on going, but they came in for me at one point, so I begged [Inter manager Simone] Inzaghi to leave.

“The fact that they didn’t try to force me to sign a new contract irritated me, if not outright injured me. I would have stayed 100% if Inter had offered me a new deal. This should go without saying.

“Also bothering me was the fact that I hadn’t won anything in England in eight years. So it was difficult to pass up the opportunity to return home with the team I’ve rooted for since I was a kid.”

‘Conte was my mentor, but now, a rival.’

Lukaku has been outspoken about his friendship with Antonio Conte, stating numerous times how the Italian coach has aided his development as a player.

Lukaku feels the goal of proving himself to his old boss provides him with new motivation to thrive in England now that they are both in London.

“I speak with Conte on a regular basis, not just about football but about life in general,” Lukaku stated.

“When he left Inter, it was one of the most difficult times of my life, but I didn’t leave because of him. With Inzaghi, I thought we could still win games at Inter.

“Conte at Spurs, I believe, has the ability to repeat his success at Inter in Serie A. He is aware, though, that our Chelsea team is formidable. I perceive him as a league opponent, and I’ve never won against him, so that adds to my motivation.

“He had a huge impact on my career; he taught me how to be a professional and how to make sacrifices on and off the field to be ready for any challenge.”