Inter ultras have released a statement ahead of Romelu Lukaku’s incoming return from Chelsea this summer.
It has been confirmed that a fee between Inter and Chelsea has now been agreed after detailed talks and multiple offers which were pegged back. Lukaku will join Inter on loan a season after leaving the club for Chelsea on a permanent basis.
Curva Nord, who had been on the forefront of the striker’s criticism for leaving Inter last year, have now released a statement about his incoming signing as well.
They state on their Instagram page: “The Curva Nord supports Inter and will not make any objection to the player (despite last summer’s behavior). Given this, no one should go to welcome him with scarves or banners of the Curva or of the groups that it has. Everything that will be done for him in the future, he will have to earn it on the pitch with humility and sweat. He was supported (and treated) like a King, now he is like a lot of the others.”
The statement further stated: “Let us also be clear to everyone that we will never cheer against Lukaku if he wears the Inter shirt again.
“However, we invite all Inter fans not to fall into the opposite trap, that of running immediately and drooling about him. In addition to a clear instinctive emotional aspect, pretending that nothing has happened would only give a further acceleration to that process that has been going on for years – aimed at making us all stupid and supine consumers. We are not people who are at the mercy of the moves of players and clubs. We took note of Lukaku’s betrayal and we were very upset. To a footballer these things can be forgiven over time, but [for us] they will stay.”
Last summer, Curva Nord had unfurled a banner against the Belgian when he was about to rejoin Chelsea. It stated: “It doesn’t matter who runs away when it rains, it counts who stays when it storm. Ciao Romelu.”