Romelu Lukaku has revealed the part he played in convincing compatriot Kevin De Bruyne to join him at Napoli.
De Bruyne is joining Napoli on a free transfer from Premier League club Manchester City and, speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws (via TMW), Lukaku confirmed that he “spoke to him a couple of times” and “explained how things work” at Napoli.
Lukaku: De Bruyne made the right choice
When asked about De Bruyne’s arrival, Lukaku said: “I’m happy he’s joining us. He’s exactly what Napoli needs to take the next step. We’ve just become champions and we don’t just want to defend that title – we want to improve as well.”
Napoli left it until the last match of the season to crown themselves Scudetto winners – beating Inter by just a point as the campaign concluded. Lukaku was instrumental in their success, scoring fourteen goals and assisting a further ten in 36 Serie A games.
On the topic of De Bruyne, Lukaku continued: “I spoke to him a couple of times while on national team duty and he also called me once. I explained how things work here. I also told him where he could look for a place to live and things like that. Dries [Mertens] and I did our best to convince him, and Kevin made the right choice.”
Lukaku highlights Italian football passion as De Bruyne arrives
Lukaku commented further on the difference between football in England and Italy, as De Bruyne joins the forward amongst the names who have departed England for Italy: “A Napoli player receives a lot of love. I’m happy that Kevin will get to experience that. Playing football in Italy is incomparable – there’s a kind of passion you don’t see elsewhere.
“But there’s also a downside… I’ve played at clubs where fans would show up at training when things weren’t going well. It’s not pleasant but it makes you realise you have to give everything, every single day.”
De Bruyne had a difficult 2024-25 campaign as Manchester City struggled and the midfielder faced periods of injury and a lack of fitness. Despite this, he still managed four goals and seven assists in the league as the talismanic midfielder closed the door on his journey with the Cityzens.
