Lukaku remains sidelined after suffering a left rectus femoris thigh injury in a preseason friendly against Olympiacos. According to team reports, the Belgian forward is expected to miss three to four months, ruling him out of Napoli’s key fixtures in both Europe and Serie A.

“Following the injury against Olympiacos, Romelu Lukaku underwent tests at Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a serious injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his left thigh,” Napoli confirmed in a medical statement released in late August.

With their main striker unavailable, Napoli moved quickly in the transfer market, securing Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund on loan to strengthen their attack.

Despite Lukaku’s absence, the Serie A club have won four of their first five league matches and will now push for their first Champions League victory of the campaign against Sporting CP.

Confirmed lineup for Napoli

In addition to Romelu Lukaku’s absence, Antonio Conte will also be without captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who is suspended after being sent off in the loss to Manchester City.

Napoli’s confirmed starting XI for the clash with Sporting CP is: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Leonardo Spinazzola, Juan Jesus, Sam Beukema, Miguel Gutierrez; Stanislav Lobotka; Matteo Politano, Frank Anguissa, Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay; Rasmus Hojlund.

Confirmed lineup for Sporting CP

On the Sporting CP side, manager Rui Borges has no absences for this match. As a result, he will field his strongest lineup as the Portuguese club looks for a second straight victory after defeating Kairat 4-1 in their group-stage opener.

Sporting CP’s confirmed starting XI is: Rui Silva; Ivan Fresneda, Eduardo Quaresma, Goncalo Inacio, Maximiliano Araujo; Morten Hjulmand, Joao Simoes; Geny Catamo, Francisco Trincao, Geovany Quenda; Fotis Ioannidis.

One of those players who seems to not have a place left at Chelsea and is under contract is Romelu Lukaku, who is signed until June 2026. Last season, the 31-year-old striker was on loan at Roma, where he scored 21 goals in 47 games. Before that, he was with Inter Milan, where he scored 14 goals in 37 games, winning two titles.

Up next for Romelu Lukaku is a third Italian club. According to Fabrizio Romano, Napoli is looking to sign the striker for the upcoming season.

Romelu Lukaku to Napoli?

According to Romano, talks between the clubs are set to take place on August 24th, Saturday, to push the deal over the finish line. A sale of Romelu Lukaku would help Chelsea begin its long process of shortening their squad.

Romelu Lukaku played at Chelsea in two different stints, neither of which yielded much success, as the striker has 15 goals in 59 games.

Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, while Napoli suffered a shock loss to Hellas Verona, 3-0, to open their Serie A season.

Romelu Lukaku has turned down going to the Saudi Pro League twice, but that does not mean the former Inter Milan striker won’t go one day. Lukaku spoke to Belgian outlet HLN and gave his viewpoint on the SPL.

Lately a lot has been made of a mass exodus from Saudi Arabia, with Jordan Henderson leaving for Ajax and reports that Karim Benzema also wants out of his deal with Al-Ittihad.

Romelu Lukaku on Saudi Pro League

When asked about his view on the Saudi Pro League, “For me personally I think in the next two years it will be one of the best leagues in the world if not the best”.

Lukaku reportedly turned down a $57 million-per-year offer from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal last summer.

Saudi Pro League exodus

While the SPL is marching on as business as usual, Jordan Henderson was the first to end his contract. Now with most clubs starting new in 2024 there are talks of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic reportedly wanting to return to Lazio, Roberto Firmino is said to be frustrated at current club Al-Ahli, and Benzema may return to European football.

The Italian Cup derby was one of the most heated games of the season, with both teams getting punishments for their fans and players’ behavior. Apart from racially abusing Lukaku with racist chants every time he touched the ball, Lazio fans hit Roma’s Edoardo Bove with a beer bottle as they also threw flares onto the field and into the Roma fans sector.

That cost Lazio a suspended $55,000 fine, whereas Roma were hit with a $16,500 fine as they fans threw things back to the opposing team’s supporters. And the chaos also occured on the field, even after the final whistle.

Heated Lazio-Roma derby sees three red cards, monetary fines

The fact that three players saw the red card should be enough to explain how heated this clash was. The derby got heated by the end of the game, with Maurizio Sarri’s team heading towards a 1-0 win thanks to Mattia Zaccagni’s penalty after 51′.

Lazio winger Pedro was the first to be sent off after six minutes of stoppage time, having seen a yellow card only a minute earlier. But there was room for more red cards. 10 minutes into added time, Sardar Azmoun left Roma down to 10 men as he slapped Nicolo Rovella on the back of the head.

The referee blew the final whistle, but that didn’t prevent Gianluca Mancini from seeing the red card as well. The Roma defender has allegedly insulted the official, telling his teammates not to shake hands with him, before waiting outside the referee’s dressing room to continue with his rant.

Mancini was handed a three-match ban as well as a $11,000 fine; whereas Azmoun was given a two-game suspension, with Pedro getting a one-game ban. The Roma players will serve the suspension in the next Coppa Italia, while the Lazio winger will miss the first leg of the semifinals against Juventus.

All this stems from news that Lukaku has no interest in returning to Inter Milan and knowing he has no place at Chelsea the former Everton star wants a move to Juventus.

Juventus, who may need a striker to replace Dušan Vlahović, who has offers from many clubs including Inter Milan, the Old Lady supporters were not too thrilled at the prospects of Lukaku signings with the Serie A giants.

Juventus ultras show brutal sign towards Romelu Lukaku

On Twitter an image surfaced where fans held a makeshift sign that stated, “Lukaku stay in Milano. We already have a second goalkeeper” and on Instagram the ultras doubled down with “Here you will never be welcome”.

Lukaku had a decent season for Inter Milan as they fell in the UEFA Champions League final, the Belgian scored 14 goals in 37 games while on loan last season.

There was no room for a shock in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League final. Inter did a decent job in Istambul, but it wasn’t enough to upset Manchester City, who tasted continental glory for the first time.

Simone Inzaghi‘s team was able to create danger throughout the game, but not only did Ederson deny all their efforts, the Nerazzurri also failed to capitalize on their chances.

Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to replace Edin Dzeko in the second half, but his performance left much to be desired. The Belgian striker’s misses proved costly, which is why many wonder what’s next for him.

Inter president leaves Romelu Lukaku’s future up in the air

Lukaku came back to Inter on loan at the beginning of the season, following a lackluster return to Chelsea the previous campaign. Inter president Steven Zhang didn’t slam the striker for his poor performance in Istambul, but he couldn’t confirm whether he’ll stay at the club.

“Romelu loves Inter, that’s very clear,” Zhang said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano. “He’s a great guy but he’s under contract at Chelsea. We have to wait and speak to Chelsea to make Lukaku’s future clear”.

Inter reportedly don’t have a buy option nor an obligation to purchase him this summer, so if they want him to stay, they’ll have to negotiate with the English club.

The Nerazzurri took down Porto, Benfica, and crosstown rivals AC Milan to make this stage of the tournament, where they hope to get the job done. It won’t be easy, but there’s a reason they’re here.

Simone Inzaghi made a few changes to the lineup, including Marcelo Brozovic instead of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. However, what many wonder is why Romelu Lukaku started on the bench.

Why Romelu Lukaku started on the bench for Inter

The Belgian striker doesn’t have any injury, so his absence in the starting eleven was a tactical decision. Lukaku didn’t start for Inter because Inzaghi opted to pair Lautaro Martinez with Edin Dzeko instead of the former Chelsea striker.

Lukaku has struggled to win a place in the lineup this season, with the Bosnian big man often joining the Argentine star up front.

Discussions about a possible move to Saudi Arabia have heated up in recent days. It was reported that an official announcement of the 35-year-old’s joining with Al-Ittihad was “imminent,” as the club’s management had become more confident in their ability to close the transfer.

His former teammate in Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo, is currently playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and the Frenchman reportedly has spoken with the Portuguese about the move. With an annual salary of about €100 million, Benzema would be one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.

Who is expected to be Karim Benzema’s replacement at Real Madrid?

To compete with Europe’s best clubs next season, Real Madrid will need to add reinforcements to the roster this summer, particularly if Karim Benzema decides to depart. As a result, Spain-based media outlets are reporting that Los Blancos are considering making a bid to acquire Romelu Lukaku.

Fichajes reports that Carlo Ancelotti and his squad see the value in the Belgian when he is well enough to play and are interested in bringing him to the Bernabeu. The same source states that Madrid see Lukaku as a good alternative to Karim Benzema, or even to play alongside him in case the Frenchman opts to stay.

The 29-year-old forward returned to Serie A on loan last summer, but he has had a rough year due to injuries and poor fitness. Lukaku has begun to regain his form in Serie A after missing 18 games for Inter this season in all competitions, but he is set to return to his former side Chelsea once his loan ends.

The referee interpreted the gesture as a provocation and showed him a yellow card, the second one for Lukaku during the game, so he was out of the match. After that, many fans from Juventus shouted racist chants tothe forward. “History repeats itself. I’ve passed through this in 2019 and now in 2023 again. I hope Serie A takes actions against this, because soccer should be enjoyed by all” said Lukaku on Instagram.

Furthermore, Romelu Lukaku thanked the extraordinary amount of support he has received after the game against Juventus. Now, superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, also had special messages for the Belgian player.

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr send support to Romelu Lukaku

The incidents of racism against Romelu Lukaku at Turin were condemned worldwide. “A few characters in the stands cannot ruin the soccer spectacle and don’t represent the thought of all the fans at the stadium, who fortunately share the highest values in sport. Serie A, as it has always done it, will be able to identify the people responsible for this, excluding them with lifetime bans” was the message from the Italian League authorities.

Kylian Mbappe posted a very strong message about Romelu Lukaku’s situation on his official Instagram account. “2023 and still the same problems. But we’re not going to let you do it. All against racism.”

Vinicius Jr, the player who has received the most racist attacks in different cities and stadiums of Spain, immediately reacted showing his support to Romelu Lukaku on social media. “We are together, brother.” The message was accompanied by Lukaku’s celebration of the goal against Juventus.

A corner kick and an assist from Dodi Lukebakio set up the Inter striker for his second goal in the 49th minute. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden entered the game in the 73rd minute, making him the oldest player in the Euro Qualifiersof all time.

The 41-year-old attempted a fantastic header from the center of the box, but his effort was denied. Belgium eventually made it 3-0 shortly afterward, as Lukaku completed his hat trick in the 82nd minute.

How did Romelu Lukaku silence his critics on social media?

In a 3-0 victory against Sweden on Friday, Romelu Lukaku scored a hat trick and addressed his doubters head-on.Following the game, he shared a few Instagram stories, including one in which he seemingly responded to his critics with a silencing gesture.

With the national team, Lukaku has played 105 times, scoring 71 goals. The winner of the 2021 Serie A title with Inter, where he is currently on loan from Chelsea, also shared a photo on Instagram with the caption, “A new era has begun. Great performance by the whole team.”

Meanwhile, the 2-0 loss to Morocco last Sunday was a major setback for the Belgians, who had been hoping to reach the knockout stage for the fourth straight tournament since 2002.Before that, on November 23, Roberto Martinez’s squad earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Canada in their group opener thanks to an ill-advised goal from Michy Batshuayi, snapping a two-game losing skid.

The Red Devils’ World Cup chances rest on their ability to beat the 2018 finalistson Thursday. They are presently third in Group F, one point behind Morocco and Luka Modric’s side.

Why is Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku starting on the bench againstCroatia?

Since returning to Inter on loan from Chelsea this season, RomeluLukaku has only featured five times due to injury. He has been out since late October due to a recurring ailment; he didn’t play in Belgium’s opening 1-0 win against Canada and just returned to training with the team on Friday.

This kept him out of action until late October, and while he scored on his return against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League and made an appearance against Sampdoria, the striker suffered a recurrence, calling into question his chances of making it to the World Cup.

The 29-year-old strikeris ahead of plan in his comeback from a thigh injury, but he has yet to be named in Qatar’s starting XI, instead coming off the substitute in the 2-0 loss to Morocco, playing the final 10 minutes of the game. For the deciding clash against Croatia, coach Roberto Martinez has chosen to start Dries Mertens.