The ink was dry and contract signed just before lunchtime in July 2014 when Romelu Lukaku’s BlackBerry buzzed at Finch Farm.

It was a message from Jose Mourinho, the manager he was leaving behind at Chelsea and who had previously been so publicly outspoken about the player’s attitude and desire.

Best wishes was the general theme. No hard feelings. There was an acceptance that Lukaku wanted to be top dog elsewhere than fight for scraps at Stamford Bridge.

Romelu Lukaku and Jose Mourinho were together at Chelsea but had a falling out

Mourinho spoke publicly numerous times about Lukaku's work ethic before his Everton move

Everton was his new home, a deal worth £28million. Crucially, it came with Mourinho’s blessing and left the door more than slightly ajar for the pair to work together again.

‘Choices were made by me. By me. Not by them,’ Lukaku told the Guardian in 2015. ‘Everyone says it is Mourinho’s fault but it is not his fault because I made the decision.

‘The first text message I got was from Mourinho saying: “Good luck, do your best and I will see you next season.” Nobody knows that and that is why for me he gets immense respect.’

The split in 2014 was viewed as acrimonious - not a difficult conclusion to draw given the criticism levelled at the Belgian and after some significant verbal sparring throughout his previous loan spell.

And even after sending that private text, Mourinho questioned his motivation: ‘Romelu was always clear that in his mentality and his approach he was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea.

Lukaku left Chelsea while Mourinho was in charge to join Everton in a £28million transfer

‘He wanted to play for Chelsea, but clearly only as first-choice striker - and at a club of our dimension it’s very difficult to promise a player that status. We want to be inside financial fair play rules, you have to analyse these situations.’

The merits of spending an initial £75million on him have been analysed by Manchester United this summer. It is business they are committed to completing.

Groundwork had already been laid by Lukaku last year with a real display of affection and it should come as no surprise they want to link-up again. The influence of Mino Raiola cannot be downplayed either.

‘Some people will say that I need to convince him (Mourinho) but it's not a question of that,’ Lukaku told La Derniere Heure in 2016.

Despite reports otherwise, the pair still have a good relationship off the pitch

‘Three years ago I was 20 and I wasn't ready to be immediately effective in a top team. Several good seasons, including the current one, have changed the situation.’

Hindsight tells us Lukaku and Raiola had it right. Last season was the best of the lot, Lukaku finishing on 25 Premier League goals and named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Lukaku is happy to work under Mourinho again - ‘the page has turned on both sides’ - and the Portuguese’s desire to land him is clear evidence that the timing was not right for the pair at Stamford Bridge.

He was young, not quite as rounded and believing his raw talent should have been enough to earn consistent games. Mourinho knew better. Verbal sparring ensued, both while with Chelsea and out on loan at Goodison Park.

Lukaku asked to leave hours after his penalty miss in the 2013 Super Cup defeat by Bayern Munich. It did not go down well, Mourinho harbouring doubts about his temperament and reacting some months later after Lukaku claimed he had made contact to check on his progress.

‘Romelu is a young boy who likes to speak,’ said Mourinho. ‘The only thing he didn’t say is why he went to Everton on loan. That’s the only thing he never says.

MOURINHO AND LUKAKU'S WAR OF WORDS Mourinho on Lukaku's decision to leave on loan 'Romelu likes to speak. He’s a young boy who likes to speak. But the only thing he didn’t say is why he went to Everton on loan. That’s the only thing he never says. 'And my last contact with him was to tell him exactly that: 'Why do you never say why you are not here?' 'It’s something he should say, the reason why he’s not with Chelsea and is in Everton. There are things in our lives that we have to keep private but one day he scored and said he hoped Jose was watching. 'It was like saying: 'Why did he let me go?' And that’s what I’m telling him now: 'Tell the country why you left.' When you enjoy to speak, speak everything. Don’t speak only half of it. Speak everything. 'It’s a simple question: 'Why did you leave Chelsea?' Ask him. 'I’m happy that he’s scoring goals against our direct rivals, and he doesn’t score against us because he can’t. But he’s there. It’s good for his evolution. It’s good for Chelsea because he belongs to us for a long time. Mourinho on Lukaku's motivation 'It is one thing to play for Everton and another thing to play for Chelsea. There are no regrets.' Mourinho on Lukaku's permanent departure 'Romelu was always very clear with us in his mentality and his approach was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea. He wanted to be clearly the first-choice striker. 'Financial fair play is always something behind the thoughts of the Chelsea board and you have the chance to make some movements that create a positive impact Chelsea always analyses these situations.' Lukaku on leaving Chelsea 'Choices were made by me. By me. Not by them. Everyone says it is Mourinho’s fault but it is not his fault because I made the decision. I went to his office to ask if I could go. He was the first one to say: "Good luck." 'I signed the deal with Everton at 11 o’clock and the first text message I got on my old BlackBerry was from Mourinho saying: "Good luck, do your best and I will see you next season." He was the first. Nobody knows that and that is why for me he gets immense respect. It is really sad he has to go. He is a great character and a great man. Even though there were words said in the media, I never looked at it because I know what he did and not a lot of managers would do that.' Lukaku on working with Mourinho again 'Some people will say that I need to convince him but it's not a question of that. Three years ago I was 20 and I wasn't ready to be immediately effective in a top team.' Advertisement

‘My last contact with him was to tell him exactly that. Why do you never say why you are not here?

‘There are things in our lives that we have to keep private but one day he scored and said he hoped Jose was watching.

‘It was like saying: “Why did he let me go?” And that’s what I’m telling him now: “Tell the country why you left.” When you enjoy to speak, speak everything. Don’t speak only half of it. Speak everything.

Mourinho has pursued Lukaku to lead the line for Manchester United next season

‘I’m happy that he’s scoring goals against our direct rivals, and he doesn’t score against us because he can’t. But he’s there. It’s good for his evolution. It’s good for Chelsea because he belongs to us for a long time.’

The mind of Mourinho, why he occasionally speaks it so vehemently and for what specific reason, will one day be unlocked. Here there had been contradictions, Lukaku sure his manager ‘understood’ why he wanted to go on loan. Regardless, he ended up being sold for a tidy profit.

Perhaps relations were never quite as frosty as once thought. Perhaps the text message was a vital play in shaping their futures.