Romelu Lukaku has always talked a good game when it comes to his supposed devotion to Inter. "I hope to stay at Inter, Inter for me is everything," he said when quizzed on a potential permanent return to San Siro from Chelsea by Sky Italia in January.
Inter CEO Beppe Marotta certainly bought into the striker's words, and has done his best to try and facilitate his long-term stay. “Romelu loves the shirt he wears, he is very comfortable at Inter. These are fundamental aspects, this desire of his to be with us," Marotta told Radio Rai towards the end of last season.
But history shows that Lukaku simply cannot be trusted. He's made a regular habit of performing surprise U-turns over the course of his career, while seemingly giving little thought to the collateral damage left in his wake.
The 30-year-old's latest ill-advised decision may rank above all the rest, though, as he has reportedly set his sights on a move to Inter's arch-rivals Juventus. The Bianconeri matched Inter's €40m (£34m/$45m) offer to Chelsea, and Lukaku has since cut off communication channels with club officials at San Siro.
Juve will first need to offload Dusan Vlahovic before any deal for Lukaku can be finalised, but it's clear that the Allianz Stadium is now the Belgium international's preferred destination. And naturally, Inter are furious.
After a brief, and likely explosive phone call between Inter director Piero Ausilio and Lukaku last Friday, the 2022-23 Champions League finalists dropped out of the race to sign him entirely. The path is now clear for Juve to secure Lukaku's services, but make no mistake: Inter, and indeed Chelsea, are far better off without him.