By Daily Sports on January 10, 2018
Belgian international Romelu Lukaku gave his reason for rejecting Everton's offer of a reported £140 000 a week because of a voodoo message, the Premier League club's major shareholder Farhad Moshiri revealed on Tuesday.
Moshiri told fellow shareholders at the club's AGM that the 24-year-old striker -- who eventually joined Manchester United for £75 million instead of Chelsea despite the Blues thinking they had secured his signature -- looked set to sign the new contract until he made a phone call to his mother.
"We offered him a better deal than Chelsea and his agent came to Finch Farm (the club's training centre) to sign the contract," said Moshiri.
"Robert (Elstone, chief executive) was there, everything was in place, there were a few reporters outside, then in the meeting Rom called his mother.
"He said he was on a pilgrimage in Africa or somewhere and he had a voodoo and got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea," added the 62-year-old Iran-born businessman.
Moshiri, who has invested £150 million of his own money into the club to clear debts, said he considered Lukaku's departure was a personal failure for him.
"The issue with Romelu was not financial. As long as I am major shareholder financial issues are irrelevant," said Moshiri
"I wasted two summers to keep him: first summer with his agent, him and his family we managed to keep him.
"I got close to Rom, I like the boy, he's a good boy, and I used all my charm to keep him and I flatly failed," Moshiri added. © AFP
•Photo shows Romelus Lukaku.
Source Daily Sports
Posted January 10, 2018
You may also like...
Nigeria brushes off Gambia, battles Tunisia today
Minnows Sheriff Stun Real Madrid With Unlikely Victory...
Leicester City Doing Everything To Protect ‘Pivotal’ Ndidi...
Schmeichel confident Leicester will defend title
Ajax Amsterdam Cut Ties With Ajax Cape Town...
South West Basketball Zone Sets Up Committees Ahead...

Brume, Okezie join global stars for Kip Keino Classic
NPFL confirms May 24 season end date
NCF proposes elite cricket league
Trump envoy wants Italy to replace Iran at World Cup — Report
Gala intensify Osimhen’s special recovery plan
Core Afrique stages first NBF-sanctioned pro event
Professional, amateur golfers tee off at landmark Edo event
Ndidi resumes training after injury layoff
NPFL halts season for Federation Cup
National school volleyball championships begin in Lagos
AFN opens World Relays camp in Lagos
NOC Mourns Galadima, Describes Late Administrator As ‘Principled Visionary’
Rangers International going, going . . . (63,718 views)
Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (55,046 views)
Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (52,968 views)
Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (52,563 views)
Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (52,494 views)
Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (52,395 views)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (52,248 views)
NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (51,791 views)
Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (50,982 views)
Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (49,489 views)
Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (47,900 views)
John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (47,367 views)