Roma striker Romelu Lukaku will soon set the record straight over the controversy that occurred during the summer market.
The Mirror says on-loan Chelsea centre-forward Lukaku is ready to shock football by blowing the lid on the real story behind his 2023 transfer saga.
I have to wait for the right moment. You all know me. When I speak, I don't go around the pot. Then I don't do politics.
I know what has been going on behind the scenes, but when I tell my story, I want everyone to listen to my point of view for once and nothing is taken out of context. The time is not yet right for that. We are in a good groove. At Roma, we won the last three matches and I left with good vibes. For the national team, it is also an important week. But I read so much bulls**t."
Lukaku went on: I had supposedly told myself I was going to a certain club [Inter Milan], but that didn't make sense.
There were also a few clubs I wouldn't go to [Juventus]. At one point, I was about to explode. When 90 per cent of what is said about you is not true, it is hard to keep your mouth shut. Five years ago, I would definitely have exploded, but now I didn't put my energy into it. Not now, either. If I really told the truth here at this moment, many would be shocked.
I just want to make an example of NBA player LeBron James, even though I'm not like LeBron. Bam, bam, bam that one took a lot of criticism but handled it unflinchingly. I want to adopt that mentality."
Lukaku added: I spent the whole summer focusing on what I do best: playing football. There are a lot of people who have been talking in my name, but I've been working especially hard on my own.
The more intense the negotiations with AS Roma became, the harder I trained. I have to thank Radja Nainggolan because he told me a lot about the club and about the supporters.
In addition, of course, I had talks with Jose Mourinho. I didn't play at my good level for two years due to injuries, a dramatic World Cup, and having to sit on the bench in Champions League matches it was important to find a club where I could take responsibility and find teammates who could also achieve something. I never doubted it would work out with Mourinho."