Injuries, unauthorized interviews, and then going incommunicado – Lukaku's departures from his former clubs have never been peaceful.

Italian media outlet Calciomercato points out that once Lukaku feels he is no longer central to the plans, he expresses it immediately, and the transfer market reacts accordingly. Internazionale, Roma, and Napoli have all dealt with the Belgian striker and have witnessed his unexpected reactions and emotional fluctuations.

The latest episode occurred at Napoli: the club stated that Lukaku did not report to Castel di Sangro for personal reasons. Although he had been granted permission to arrive two days late, this still seems like another harbinger of a potential departure. A few weeks ago, Lukaku's agent, Federico Pastorello, was very direct: "Lukaku to Napoli as Hojlund's substitute? Impossible." The club shared the same sentiment, especially since his after-tax annual salary is as high as 11 million euros, and Atlanta United is also interested in him.

Seven years ago, in the summer of 2019, Lukaku experienced a similar situation in Serie A for the first time. At that time, he tried his best to leave Manchester United and join Antonio Conte at Internazionale. After Solskjaer took over, he was gradually marginalized in the Red Devils' squad and even spent some time on the bench. The striker, born in 1993, then publicly expressed his desire to wear the Nerazzurri jersey. After being excluded from the summer tour, he returned to Belgium to train peacefully and eventually bid farewell to Old Trafford.

In the summer of 2021, Lukaku returned to Chelsea from Internazionale for 115 million euros, but a few months later, he angered the Blues with an unauthorized interview. In the interview, he said he was unhappy in London, criticized Tuchel, and admitted he wanted to return to Milan as soon as possible. The German coach excluded him from the squad for the match against Liverpool, forcing him to issue a public apology. Then, after a disappointing season and criticism from English fans, he returned to Internazionale on loan. Compared to his situation three years prior, Lukaku faced competition from Dzeko at Internazionale. He returned to the Nerazzurri hoping to be the protagonist again, but he did not get the position he wanted because Inzaghi often trusted the Bosnian striker more, especially in important matches, such as the 2023 Champions League final loss to Manchester City. In that match, Lukaku came on as a substitute but missed several excellent chances, which further deteriorated his relationship with Internazionale fans.

The following summer, Internazionale had hoped to complete his permanent transfer and released Dzeko based on that idea, but Lukaku went incommunicado, consistently not answering calls from sporting director Piero Ausilio. His indirect rumors with Milan and Juventus also angered the Internazionale hierarchy. Weeks later, he joined Roma on a new loan spell.

The precedent involving Napoli is more recent: in March of this year, Lukaku did not return to Campania on time after the international break, even though the club was waiting for him. Lukaku stayed in Brussels to be with his family, who were going through difficulties at the time, and his father had recently passed away; at the same time, he was still recovering from a long-term injury that almost made him miss the entire 2025/26 season. The striker only returned to Castel Volturno after the club threatened to remove him from the first team, but the atmosphere between the two parties remained cold. Even he and Conte, the coach who first brought him to Italy, did not greet each other.

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