Antonio Conte admitted he had ‘great affection’ for Romelu Lukaku but insisted he is still a Chelsea player and would not be drawn on his explosive comments.
The striker hit the headlines this week for an interview he gave Sky in Italy by admitting he was not happy with his situation at Stamford Bridge.
Lukaku’s interview has caused a stir this weekSky Italy/Getty
His campaign has been stop-start due to injury and a bout of coronavirus following his £97.5million transfer from Inter Milan.
The 28-year-old was central to Inter’s success, helping them win the Serie A title last season.
Conte got the best out of Lukaku, but his departure from the San Siro led to things unravelling.
The striker admitted he would have stayed at Inter if they had the economic power to keep hold of top names.
Conte was instrumental in Lukaku’s return to lethal form in ItalyAFP
He told Sky Sports: “In that case I would have stayed at Inter 100% last summer! No need to discuss that. Then Conte left, then Hakimi, the club was rumoured to be in trouble…”
Conte was asked about Lukaku’s comments and his own transfer plans following Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Watford on New Year’s Day.
“We need to talk about new signings, yes,” Conte told Sky Sports. “When I was appointed, I was told that we would meet to talk about new signings. Now I have everything clear [on current team].”
On Lukaku, he added: ”Lukaku words? I feel great affection for him but he’s Chelsea player.”
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