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What's the story?
According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United and Inter Milan are €13.5 million apart in their valuation for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio travelled to London for talks with United's chief negotiator Matt Judge and made an official approach for the former Everton man which was rejected by the Red Devils.
In case you didn't know...
Lukaku fell down the pecking order once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge at Old Trafford, with the Norwegian preferring Marcus Rashford over the Belgian to lead the line at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Belgian has scored 42 goals in 96 appearances for United, but his inconsistency in front of goal and inability to hold up the ball and facilitate attacks by dropping deep have proven to be a hindrance for Solskjaer, who's tactics require the striker to create chances for other forwards and manoeuvre the ball out of tight spaces.
Consequently, Rashford displaced Lukaku from the starting eleven and the Belgian is now looking for an exit route.
Describing new Inter coach Antonio Conte as "the best manager in the world", Lukaku has been pretty vocal about his desire to play in Italy under the tutelage of the former Chelsea manager.
Conte tried to sign Lukaku when he was in charge of Chelsea but United beat the Blues to his signature back then.
The heart of the matter...
According to Romano, Inter and United are still way off agreeing on a fee for the Belgian, with United's valuation of €83.5 million proving to be a bit too much for the Italians.
United believe that the striker's age, prolific goalscoring record, and contractual situation justify their price tag and are holding out for €13.5 million more than what Inter are currently offering them.
An opening bid of €70 million paid over two years, with a loan fee of €10 million this summer followed by 2 instalments of €30 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively, was rejected by United yesterday.
Ausilio returned to Italy after holding talks with United and said,
“We had a meeting with Man United for Lukaku. It has been an official approach between two important clubs. Let’s see. Conte wants every player we’re trying to sign."
What's next?
Conte is desperate to bring Lukaku to the San Siro and the Belgian has been vocal about his desire to play in Italy, so it seems as though there'll be a swift resolution between the two clubs for the former Everton mans sale.
It'll be interesting to see who United sign to replace Lukaku, and if recent reports are to be believed, Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder is being earmarked for a switch to Old Trafford.
