Mauro: ‘I wouldn’t take players like Lukaku at Juventus’

Former Juventus midfielder Massimor Mauro has insisted that he ‘wouldn’t take players like Lukaku’ at Juventus amidst speculation that the former Inter striker has been in discussions with the Old Lady over a potential transfer from his current employers, Chelsea. 

Lukaku had been widely expected to rejoin Inter on a permanent deal from Chelsea this summer, but on Saturday afternoon, it was revealed that the deal was off after a series of surprising twists and turns in negotiations. 

Inter later decided to abandon their pursuit of Lukaku after discovering that he had also been in talks with Juventus over a potential move to the Allianz Stadium. 

Mauro, who won the Scudetto with Juve in 1985-86, told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Lukaku’s recent antics are part of the reason why he would not chose to sign him if he were in charge. 

“I may be old, but I wouldn’t take players like Lukaku who even publicly said that they would never wear the black and white shirt,” he said. “Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

He expanded: “Because Juventus have already had several blows like this in their history. I’m thinking of Capello, Sarri and even Higuain. They seemed like great rivals, then they turned out to be successful even in black and white. 

“Not to mention, that nowadays the players can do and say what they want. They kiss the badge and then the next moment, they move elsewhere. Most of the coaches pretend not to hear and not to see. 

“I, on the other hand, remain convinced that to build a team and an important group, you have to start from the sense of belonging and have a specific identity.”

Mauro also believes that signing Lukaku wouldn’t massively inspire the Juventus fan base either, even if he does have the ability to produce impressive numbers if his head is in the right place.

“As I see it, Lukaku would not rekindle the joy of the Bianconeri faithful. On the contrary,” Mauro claimed. 

He explained: “Lukaku seems to me more like a shot from Allegri than from Giuntoli. We’re talking about an experienced and reliable striker. If he stays fit and lucky, he can score 35 goals a season. Otherwise, he can miss simple chances and become the scapegoat as happened in the Champions League final.”

“It’s not known that Inter will weaken, they will get another striker. They could get worse, but they could also become even better. Think about Napoli last year.”