Former Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan claims he told Romelu Lukaku not to swap the Nerazzurri for Chelsea last summer.
Having fired Inter to the Scudetto last season, Lukaku departed for a second stint at the Premier League club in a €115 million deal, but has struggled to replicate his form at Stamford Bridge this term.
In an interview with FanPage, Nainggolan revealed that he warned his former Belgium international teammate to resist the move, and argued that he could have become the best striker in the world if he had remained at Inter.
“I’ve always said that for me, at Inter he was the best striker in the world because there was a game plan, a coach and a team made for him,” ex-Roma star Nainggolan declared.
“I think that if he had stayed at Inter he could have been the best striker in the world for another four or five years. I told him this and say it again because that’s what I think.”
Lukaku joined Inter from Manchester United in 2019 and scored 64 goals in 95 appearances, but has laboured to just 12 strikes from 38 games for Chelsea.