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'There's your daddy': Tuchel's joke about Lukaku's bond with Conte 'broke their relationship'

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly 'broke his relationship' with Romelu Lukaku when he made a joke about Antonio Conte that 'didn't go down well'.

The unsettled Belgian striker completed his loan move back to Inter on Wednesday, less than 12 months after arriving at Stamford Bridge for a club record fee of £97.5million.

Lukaku, who scored just eight times in 26 Premier League appearances last campaign, made no secret of his desire to return to the Italian giants during a contentious interview with Sky Italia last December.

Romelu Lukaku endured a disappointing season after joining Chelsea for u00a398m last summer
His bond with Thomas Tuchel 'fractured after the Blues boss made a joke about Antonio Conte'

By contrast, the 29-year-old netted 64 goals in 95 games at Inter under Conte, helping secure the Serie A title in 2020-21.