Romelu Lukaku reveals how Jose Mourinho phone call saw him move to Manchester United over Chelsea

The Belgian international was all set to return to Chelsea - a club he left permanently in the summer of 2014 - before United swooped in to seal a £75m move

Romelu Lukaku has revealed how a last minute intervention from Jose Mourinho saw him join Manchester United over Chelsea.

The Belgian international was all set to return to Chelsea – a club he left permanently in the summer of 2014 – before United swooped in to seal a £75m move.

Following his late window move to Inter Milan this summer Lukaku has revealed how a phone call from Mourinho changed everything back in 2017.

“I was gone, I was going to Chelsea,” the 26-year-old told the LightHarted podcast. “I was looking for an apartment, an apartment for my mum to stay in close to the practice facility, so I don’t have to drive too far. And then Man U came.

“At Man U everybody was... I felt the trust more, where everybody wanted me to be there and that’s the true story. People say ‘Yeah, my agent (Mino Raiola)’ and stuff like that – my former agent at the time – he did his job, he got the best opportunity for me, but the people wanted me the most and that was Man U. Everybody was wanting me. There was no doubting.

“They came and they told me – I was in New York – I get a phone call from this number and I’m like, ‘Who’s this?’ Pick up, Jose Mourinho. ‘Rom, how are you doing?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, what’s up, boss?’

“’I’m gonna get you back, we’re gonna pay £75m plus £15m in bonuses (add-ons) by next week, so I expect you in LA. So go and do your s*** in LA and I’ll see you after [in pre-season]’. I felt the dude was lying, like ‘I’ll see you’.

“Then the next thing I know, I wake up and had to go back to Everton on the July 6 and July 7, I wake up in the morning and I see they’ve agreed the deal, so I’m like, ‘Man! They came in hard!’”