Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has stirred up more speculation over his future on the eve of the FA Cup final with Liverpool.
On Friday, a number of parties commented on the player's position with the Blues, starting with his agent Federico Pastorello. He said that while there has not been any contact with Inter Milan or AC Milan over a transfer this summer, it's "obvious that there was a problem" for the Belgium international at Stamford Bridge.
Manager Thomas Tuchel was asked about the remarks at his press conference ahead of the game and offered a sharp response, referencing the club's new owner Todd Boehly.
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"If he plans to talk with the owner then maybe it's not his plan to talk with me," said the Chelsea head coach. "If he gets a meeting, maybe he can talk. It's his right and we will talk to anybody and evaluate the situation of any player including Romelu."
Having watched the back-and-forth take place, on Friday afternoon the player clearly thought the time was right to put his own opinion forward.
"Never ever will I let someone speak for me," he said in a post on social media. "I kept my mouth shut and focused on helping the team and end the season in the best way as possible.
"So if someone out there [is] trying to say something about me and the club...not in my name."
Lukaku returned to Chelsea in the summer for a club-record £98 million from Inter, although he has not hit the heights many anticipated in the 2021-22 season. Although he's the team's top scorer in all competitions, the 29-year-old would have been hoping to have netted more than 14 goals this late into the campaign.
He has scored three times in his last two outings though and based on recent developments it will be intriguing to see if Tuchel decides to start him against Liverpool at Wembley on Saturday.
