The Italian daily ‘La Republica’ reports that Napoli have dropped the Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku from their first-team squad until the end of the season. The club has not yet official confirmed that Big Rom has been dropped.
Last month Romelu Lukaku opted out of the Belgian national team’s friendly matches against the USA and Mexico in the United States in order to follow an individual programme to get him back to full fitness here in Belgium, while Napoli expected him to return to southern Italy.
Lukaku is now fully fit and ready to play. However, his decision to remain in Belgium appears to have damaged his future at the Italian club, even though his medical condition was monitored daily and shared with Napoli.
‘La Republica’ writes that Belgium’s all-time leading international goalscorer is expected back in Naples next Monday (20 April). There he will meet with club officials. However, the Italian newspaper says that the outcome of the meeting is a foregone conclusion. This season is likely to Lukaku’s last at Napoli, despite his contract at the club running until mid-2027.
A season derailed
A split with Napoli would mean that Lukaku could head to this summer’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada without meaningful match fitness. This would be a major concern for the national team as the 32-year-old is Belgium’s all-time top scorer, with 89 goals in 124 appearances for his country.
Romelu Lukaku was sidelined for several months this season due to a thigh injury and his return to top form has proved difficult. He made his comeback at the end of January as a substitute in a clash against Juventus but featured only sporadically since.