Napoli: a turning point in the row with Lukaku!

In conflict with Napoli since the last international break, centre-forward Romelu Lukaku is set to be sidelined by the Italian club until the end of the season. And this summer, the current Serie A runners-up intend to part ways with the Belgian international.

An explosive row! Withdrawn from the Belgium squad at the start of the training camp in late March, striker Romelu Lukaku seriously annoyed Napoli by staying with his family in his home country instead of returning to the training centre.

Despite tensions between the two sides, the Belgian international remained in Belgium to recover from a hip injury.

Lukaku expected in Italy… to be sidelined!

But according to reports in the daily La Repubblica on Tuesday, the 32-year-old centre-forward is now expected in Italy on 20 April. To rejoin the squad at manager Antonio Conte’s disposal? Not at all. The current Serie A runners-up no longer count on the former Chelsea player, who will be sidelined until the end of the 2025–2026 season!

For Lukaku, this is bad news. Hampered by injuries this season, the Antwerp-born striker will not be able to get himself into the right shape to build up his fitness ahead of the 2026 World Cup. And it will be interesting to see whether the Red Devils’ manager, Rudi Garcia, will still count on him despite this difficult situation…

Napoli also want to sell him

Above all, during the upcoming summer transfer window, the Napoli hierarchy want to show Lukaku the door – his contract expires in June 2027 – and hope to recoup around ten million euros. For its part, RTBF confirms this trend and reports that he is due to meet his manager Antonio Conte upon his return. A meeting that is therefore likely to mark the end of his time at Napoli.