Napoli confirmed that their Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku, failed to attend Tuesday’s scheduled training session, prompting the club to take “appropriate disciplinary measures” against him, which could result in his permanent exclusion from the first team.
In an official statement released on Tuesday, the club announced its readiness to impose sanctions on the player, noting that the crisis began after Lukaku withdrew from the Belgian national team camp last week, citing “inadequate physical condition.” He chose to remain in Belgium to train individually instead of returning to Naples.
Napoli’s statement read: “Napoli announces that Romelu Lukaku did not respond to the summons issued today prior to the resumption of training. The club reserves the right to assess and adopt appropriate disciplinary measures.”
Previous reports had indicated that Napoli would “freeze” Lukaku and exclude him from the team if he failed to return by Tuesday.
According to Sky Sports, Napoli’s statement suggests the club’s reaction could be stronger than anticipated, as the club’s lawyers are currently reviewing the legal aspects of the situation.
Depending on the terms of the agreement between the two parties, Napoli could even go so far as to terminate the contract, with all possible scenarios being examined.
It’s worth noting that Napoli will return to action on Monday, April 6, after the international break, when the Serie A runners-up host AC Milan at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
