"He had already spoken with Cristiano Ronaldo" - Romelu Lukaku could have joined Juventus from Manchester United in 2019, claims agent

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku's agent Federico Pastorello has revealed an interesting transfer story about the striker. Lukaku has had a colorful history with transfers in European football. Speaking about the player's transfer history, Pastorello said that the Belgian could have joined Juventus at one point.

It came at a point when Lukaku was ready to leave Manchester United. His agent Pastorello said in an interview with Tuttosport via Football Italia:

“The deal with Manchester United was on hold because Zhang didn’t want to meet United’s demands. United had an agreement with Juventus who would have bought Dybala and Mandzukic, Romelu had already spoken to Sarri and Cristiano Ronaldo. We managed to convince Zhang to raise the offer and I think his transfer shifted the balance in Italy, will all the respect due to his former teammates.”

The Belgian ultimately moved to Inter Milan where he trained under former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. Lukaku became one of the best players in Serie A and helped Inter win the Scudetto.

Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has played for several English clubs

Romelu Lukaku first joined Chelsea as a teenager from Anderlecht. His strong build and lightning pace caught many eyes, which encouraged the Chelsea scouts to sign him.

However, due to the heavy competition in the squad, he did not manage to cement a position in the first-team. He was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion and Everton and eventually joined the Toffees on a permanent deal in 2014.

He scored 53 goals in 110 games for the blue team from Merseyside, which led to Manchester United signing him in the summer of 2017. Despite scoring 28 goals in 66 games for Manchester United, Lukaku was sold again in the summer of 2019.

His impressive spell with Inter grabbed Chelsea's attention, who brought him back this summer for a club-record fee of £97.5 million. He has faded a little after a fast start to his second Chelsea spell and will want to get some goals under his belt soon.

Lukaku's history with Chelsea also stems from the fact that he was an ardent supporter of the club as a teenager. His idol is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.