Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku 'seeking legal advice' over Farhad Moshiri's 'voodoo' remarks

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Romelu Lukaku, the Manchester United striker, is seeking legal advice after Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri claimed ‘voodoo’ caused the striker to leave the club.

On Tuesday night, Moshiri said Lukaku turned down all attempts to keep him at Goodison Park, including a £140,000-a-week contract, after a phone call from his mother, who was on “a pilgrimage in Africa”.

Lukaku’s mother, who is of Congolese descent, was then said to have convinced her son to leave. “He had a voodoo and he got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea,” Moshiri claimed.

Though Chelsea were initially the favourites to sign the Belgium international, Lukaku eventually decided to sign for United in a £75m deal last summer.

On Wednesday, a representative for Lukaku told BBC Sport that Moshiri’s remarks were inaccurate and said that the 24-year-old, who is a Catholic, is seeking legal counsel.

“Romelu’s decision had nothing to do with voodoo,” the representative said. ”He distances himself from these beliefs and this statement and will now see what judicial steps can be taken in relation to them.”

Moshiri was speaking at Everton’s AGM, held with shareholders at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool. When asked why the club had sold Lukaku, the British-Iranian businessman claimed the club had tried everything in its power to keep the player.

“If I tell you what we offered him you wouldn’t believe it,” Moshiri said. ”We offered him a better deal than Chelsea and his agent came to Finch Farm to sign the contract.

“Robert [Elstone, Everton’s chief executive] was there, everything was in place, there were a few reporters outside, then in the meeting Rom called his mother.

“He said she was on a pilgrimage in Africa or somewhere and he had a voodoo and he got the message that he needs to go to Chelsea.”​

Moshiri added: “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. This is unfortunately the world.

“Ultimately we lost money. To buy Rom now would be £120m. The issue was his brain had gone. He was in LA and he wouldn’t come back. It happens.

“Alex Ferguson got another year out of [Cristiano] Ronaldo but then he was off. [Luis] Suárez had to bite a few players to get off.”

The Independent has approached Everton for comment.