Romelu Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has claimed in a statement that he and his family have received death threats over the striker’s move to Chelsea.
The 28-year-old Belgian forward left Inter Milan to complete a £97.5 million return to Stamford Bridge this week.
Pastorello defended his work, pointing out he was in part responsible for Lukaku’s transfer to the Italian club.
“Many of those who today insult me and threaten me, thanked me wholeheartedly for bringing him to Milan,” he said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“I have always accepted – and will continue to do so – confrontation and constructive criticism: they are part of the game for those who play a role with considerable media relevance.
“What we absolutely cannot tolerate are the falsehoods, insinuations, insults and threats we have received [also against my family and my daughters], which have far exceeded the limits of civilisation, decency and tolerance.”
Lukaku’s goals were one of the main reasons for the club’s first Serie A win in over a decade, but he left amid the club’s financial problems, partly caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Believe it or not, the supporters’ affection and the special bond with the city of Milan made him think about it for a long time: but then, once he made his decision, he carried on with conviction and firmness,” Pastorello continued.
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“The economic aspect is a detail, but it is not the main factor that determines our choices and those of our clients.
“With regards to FC Internazionale, I can guarantee that the Sport CEO Giuseppe Marotta, the sporting director Piero Ausilio – as well as the coach Simone Inzaghi, who worked at this personally – did everything in their power to avoid this transfer.
“But there are circumstances that go beyond their decision-making range and depend on the instructions of the owners.”
