Romelu Lukaku’s mural outside the San Siro stadium has been defaced by Inter Milan supporters ahead of the Belgian striker’s imminent £98million move to Chelsea.
The Inter striker travelled from Milan to London on Monday night ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge having already completed the first part of his medical in the Italian city.
Inter fans are furious at their own club for allowing start forward Lukaku – who scored 30 goals last season as the Nerazzuri won their first Serie A title in 11 years – especially after both the player and the Italian side claimed the Belgian would be staying earlier this summer.
Romelu Lukaku’s mural outside the San Siro has been defaced by Inter Milan supporters ahead of the Belgian’s £98million move to Chelsea
Inter fans produced a banner attacking their club, saying: ‘You have broken our balls’
The mural showed Lukaku pointing two fingers in the air towards the Inter Milan badge and the Italian flag, and most of the phrase ‘Dear Milano, you’re welcome’ has been blocked out with black paint, barring the word ‘Milano’.
Inter Milan’s main ultra group in the Curva Nord are responsible for the vandalism of the mural, created for the Belgian when he first joined the club in 2019 from Manchester United.
And a message on the group’s Facebook page to the departing Belgian striker read: ‘Dear Lukaku, we expected more honest and transparent behaviour from you.
‘But, despite the fact we protected you like a son, like one of us, you too proved yourself to be just like all the rest, going to your knees for money. We wish you the best, even if greed doesn’t always pay.’
Lukaku was seen seemingly holding a Chelsea shirt as he travelled to London on Monday
The 28-year-old striker is poised to sign a Chelsea contract worth around £350,000-a-week.
Meanwhile, a banner next to the mural directed towards the Inter hierarchy, led by Chinese club president Steven Zhang, 29, read: ‘You have broken all our balls’.
Lukaku has two murals outside Inter’s San Siro stadium, the one that has now been defaced and another of him alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the pair clashed during a Coppa Italia quarter-final last season.
Lukaku, who just led Inter to the title, had a mural made for him after he joined the club in 2019
The Belgian forward was set to stay at Inter for the forthcoming season as the striker was happy at the club, according to chief executive Bepe Marotta.
‘From our side, we can yes absolutely, Lukaku is not for sale. Lukaku is an important piece on the chessboard available to Simone Inzaghi.’ Marotta told Sportmediaset.
Lukaku himself added that he was looking forward to the new season with Inter when he came back from his summer break after the Euro 2020 campaign with Belgium.
He told the club’s official website: ‘We now have a few weeks to prepare as well as we can for the new campaign. We hope to do well and achieve even more than last year.
Lukaku scored 30 goals last season and was set to stay at Inter, but is now on his way out
‘I’m thrilled to be back. We hope to continue down the path that we’ve started and to keep winning. All the players will work hard to make your dreams come true.’
The Inter fans are already livid with their club for allowing last season’s title-winning head coach Antonio Conte to quit the club due to financial problems at the club.
Inter’s finances are in tatters due to the coronavirus pandemic and a £250m loan from Oaktree Capital taken earlier this summer kept the club afloat. But player sales were still needed and Conte resigned when he heard the squad would be weakened.
Defender Achraf Hakimi was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for £60m and Lukaku is set to join the Moroccan out the door, while fellow forward Lautaro Martinez could move to Tottenham in a £77m deal, as revealed by Sportsmail last week.
Inter fans have shown anger towards owner Steven Zhang (left) via banners of fury
Inter have already let head coach Antonio Conte (left) and Achraf Hakimi (right) leave the club
Protests against Zhang’s ownership have been commonplace amongst the Inter faithful this summer, starting at the end of May when Conte quit. Inter fans held up a banner outside the club’s headquarters saying, ”Don’t Touch Antonio Conte… Take Responsibility Or Leave’.
During Inter’s 2-0 pre-season friendly victory over Parma on Sunday, the club’s supporters were heard chanting: ‘Zhang if you want to save Inter, then you have to leave.’
They were also heard singing: ‘Zhang, the time is over’, ‘you have to sell’ and ‘we’ll give you the money.’ Protests are set to continue against Inter president
The 29-year-old businessman also pulled funding from his Chinese Super League venture Jiangsu Suning earlier this year, leaving fans of that club calling for him to ‘Get Out of China’ following that call.
Zhang has been told to leave Inter by the club’s supporters on several occasions this summer
Lukaku, meanwhile, was recorded leaving Milan’s Columbus clinic on Monday afternoon and appeared to be holding a Chelsea shirt in the back of the car as he was whisked away, in a video published on fcinternews.it.
Later that evening, Lukaku was filmed arriving by taxi at Linate airport ahead of his flight to the Blues, being greeted by reporters in the process.
When asked whether he had a message for Inter fans, the Belgian responded by saying: ‘Greetings to the fans of Inter, did they want me to stay? I’ll send a message in a few days.’ His agent Fede Pastorello also revealed his reasons for leaving Inter will be released ‘soon’.
Star striker Lukaku revealed he will give reasons for quitting Inter Milan in the coming days
Chelsea and Inter have now agreed a fee for Lukaku who told Italian champions Inter last week that he wanted to join Chelsea.
Lukaku is also set to overtake Neymar and become the most expensive player of all time in accumulated transfer fees.
His latest switch will take him ahead of the Paris Saint-Germain attacker in combined transfer fees, with the Belgian set to rack up an eye-watering total of £291m.