Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku says he will “never forgive” Andre Villas-Boas for leaving him out of Chelsea’s Champions League-winning squad in 2012.

The Belgian was one of AVB’s first Stamford Bridge signings in the summer of 2011, arriving from Anderlecht for £17million at just 18 years old.

However, Lukaku was no more than a fringe player under Villas-Boas, featuring just 12 times the entire season and failing to score once.

Portuguese flop AVB ended up being sacked and replaced by Robert Di Matteo midway through the campaign.

And Chelsea famously went on to lift their first-ever Champions League trophy after defeating Bayern Munich on penalties in the German side’s own stadium months later.

But despite being part of the travelling party for the final, Lukaku was unable to feature after being left out of Chelsea’s European squad by AVB.

The Belgian, 27, claims he could not even bring himself to touch the coveted trophy as he played no part in Chelsea’s victory, report The Sun.

And Lukaku insists he can never forgive AVB for denying him that Champions League win.

Lukaku told Het Laatste Nieuws: “Di Matteo told me I would stay with the group until after the final.

“He thought everyone should come along, including the ones who were suspended and the few boys who were not in the squad. I am grateful to him for that.

“This win is one of the things I’ve always dreamed about. You want to celebrate something like that with the team at that time.

“That is nice in itself at the age of 19. I am happy for whole club, but there is one man who took a lot from me.

“The previous trainer (Villas-Boas), I will never forgive him.

“I didn’t touch [the trophy] with a finger because I didn’t win this trophy myself.

“This has been the case since I was 11. If I have not contributed anything, it is not my trophy.

“Only if you have contributed to a cup or title yourself, you can also show it off.

“[Under AVB] I had to play in the front left, another time in the front right. You don’t develop that way.

“Then at some point you have to think about yourself. So I told the club what I thought of it.

“I know AVB was under pressure, but that’s why he didn’t have to treat me like that.

“Di Matteo approached me completely differently, he immediately involved me in everything.

“That should have been much earlier. Really, I never forgave the previous coach.”

Reports in Italy claim the battle for Lille star Gabriel Magalhaes is gathering momentum as Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso has personally called the highly-rated Brazilian.

According to France Football, Napoli are favourites to sign the defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

The French publication reveal that coach Gattuso personally called Gabriel and presented his case in ‘passionate’ fashion.

This impressed the 22-year-old centre-back, who is seen as a potential heir to Kalidou Koulibaly.

Chelsea, Everton, and Arsenal have reportedly been joined by Real Madrid in the race for Lille star Gabriel.

Spanish news outlet AS claims the Brazilian centre-back, 22, is now a £30million target for Los Blancos.

He has enjoyed a great season with Lille in Ligue 1, making 24 appearances.

Zinedine Zidane’s preferred target is RB Leipzig ace Dayot Upamecano.

But The Germans are demanding a whopping £54m, while Bayern Munich are also ready to compete for his signature.

Real are therefore looking at other options and Gabriel is understood to be high on their wish list.

Coutinho was due to return to the Nou Camp at the end of the season but

There are reports Bayern are considering extending Coutinho’s stay on a short term basis until the Champions League is finished.

Coutinho was due to return to the Nou Camp at the end of the season.

But despite the brief respite, the Bundesliga giants, according to Sport, are not expected to make his move permanent and his Barcelona future also looks in doubt.

Latest reports suggest Bayern have offered Manchester City star Leroy Sane Coutinho’s No10 shirt and a bumper pay rise in a bid to land him in the next transfer window.

The Bavarians have been desperate to sign the German winger, 24, since last summer, before his season-ending injury in August’s Community Shield.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is delighted Olivier Giroud’s contract has been renewed until the end of next season.

The Blues boss said: “Since I have been back at Chelsea, Olivier has been brilliant as a professional and as a man in general.

“He has great qualities to help the squad both on and off the pitch, not only with his talent but with the example he sets every day and the experience he brings to our young squad.

“I am very pleased that will continue next season.”

Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri has refused to rule out a return to Serie A amid reports that the Stamford Bridge club are planing to sell him to Juventus, and lately Inter Milan.

The 25-year-old was born and raised in Brazil, but moved to Palermo in 2014 and decided to represent Italy at international level.

“I was very happy in Serie A, including with the culture, which is also why I chose to play for Italy,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“A return to Serie A could happen, but I have a contract with Chelsea and I’m in no rush to go anywhere. It has been a wonderful experience at Chelsea, as first there was Conte, so obviously it was easier to deal with an Italian coach.

“As for Sarri, I’ve no words for what a marvellous year we had, as we finished third in the Premier League, reached the Carabao Cup Final and won the Europa League. We can’t complain!”

Emerson has been repeatedly linked with Juventus and Inter, where he’d reunite with either of those two coaches.

“I learned a lot from Conte, he proved himself to be a fantastic coach, but I think for the time we worked together and the results we achieved, I got even more from Sarri.

“Spalletti at Roma is more of a friend or a father figure, he talks to you every day, asks about your family, makes sure you’re happy. Sarri is more focused on the pitch, but you can tell he’s got a gigantic heart, even if he doesn’t speak as much.

“They are quite similar, although Sarri is more tactical and focused, while Spalletti leaves a little more room for fun in his training sessions. Sarri definitely got angrier!

“Frank Lampard is young, he was a player until recently, so he knows how to talk to the players. He was an idol at Chelsea and I’m sure he’ll get even better as a coach. He’s got a great heart.”

Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello reveals Ronaldo ‘organised parties’ and brought alcohol into Los Blancos’ dressing rooms but regards him as ‘the greatest talent I’ve coached’

Ronaldo lasted just half the 2006-07 season with Capello at Madrid as he was then sold to Milan in January, and the legendary coach reflected on his time spent with the former Inter striker.

“The greatest talent I’ve coached was Ronaldo,” he told Sky Sport Italia as cited by Football Italia.

“But at the same time, he caused me the most problems inside the dressing room.

“He used to organise parties. [Ruud] van Nistelrooy once told me, ‘boss, you can smell alcohol in the dressing rooms here.’

“Then, when he went to Milan, we started winning. But in terms of talent, he was the greatest without a doubt.

“Today we have a good relationship. We chat courteously and with pleasure.”

There are reports that N’Golo Kante was granted compassionate leave to miss the second day of Chelsea’s phase one return to training because of the midfielder’s fears regarding the Premier League restart.

Callum Hudson-Odoi also missed Wednesday’s training session and may be off for a few days after falling ill.

His condition, according to the Telegraph, is not related to coronavirus or his arrest last weekend and he has been prescribed a course of medication.

World Cup-winner Kante returned for restricted group training with the rest of the squad at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Tuesday after registering a negative coronavirus test.

But Kante is understood to hold concerns over the safety of a return to training while the nation remains in lockdown during the global coronavirus pandemic and was allowed to miss Wednesday’s session with the full consent of head coach Frank Lampard and the club.

Kante’s older brother Niama died of a heart attack shortly before the 2018 World Cup and the midfielder lost his father when he was just 11 years old.

In March 2018, Kante himself suffered a health scare when he passed out in front of terrified team-mates in the dressing room at Chelsea’s training ground. Cardiology tests did not reveal any heart issue, but he missed the next game against Manchester City.

Lampard and the Chelsea board are understanding of Kante’s feelings and allowed him to train on his own at home on Wednesday. It is unclear when he will return, but the club are giving him all the support they can and have made the training ground as safe as possible.

Despite being rated as one of the best midfielders in the world, Kante is a shy and reserved character who lives a private life and is extremely close to his family.

While some footballers have broken lockdown guidelines and pushed the rules to the limit, Kante is understood to have largely remained indoors with one of his brothers since the suspension of the Premier League.

News of Kante’s concerns comes less than a week after Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham revealed that his father Anthony has asthma.

Photo Credit: Twitter/ChelseaFC

Reports in England claim Manchester United will fight Liverpool and Chelsea to sign Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Kai Havertz in the upcoming transfer window.

Havertz is regarded as one of Germany’s top young talents, becoming a crucial first-team player for the Bundesliga side despite being just 20-years-old.

The midfielder has netted eight goals and registered five assists in just 23 league appearances this season meaning it’s no surprise to see him linked with a big-money move to the Premier League.

The Sun report Manchester United are interested in luring the Germany international to Old Trafford but will face competition from rivals Liverpool and Chelsea. German champions Bayern Munich are also believed to be interested in Havertz.

M.E.N. Sport claim Havertz is not a priority target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who is firmly focused on landing Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham.

Havertz is contracted to Leverkusen until 2022 and has been tipped to leave for a bigger club in the upcoming window.

Photo Credit: Twitter @ bayer04_en