Manchester United have reportedly slapped a €70 million asking price on Romelu Lukaku, having rejected Inter Milan’s swap offer including Ivan Perisic.
Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Manchester United have declined Inter Milan’s offer for a straight swap involving Ivan Perisic and Romelu Lukaku. Instead, the Premier League heavyweights want a cash deal for the Belgian superstar and have slapped a €70 million price tag on him.
Romelu Lukaku has endured a blow-hot-blow-cold time since joining Manchester United from Everton in a big-money deal in the summer of 2017. While the Belgian has been the top scorer for the Red Devils over the two seasons he has been at Old Trafford, he has frustrated with his tendency to go missing for several games.
To make matters even more frustrating for the player, he ended up losing his place as the first-choice striker to Marcus Rashford upon the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. And, ahead of the summer transfer window, it is believed that Lukaku could be on his way out of Manchester United soon.
Widespread reports have suggested that Manchester United would be open to the idea of selling Lukaku. Inter Milan are reportedly interested in signing the Belgian international, and for good reason.
In the squad that Antonio Conte has inherited after being named the Inter Milan manager, Mauro Icardi and Lautaro Martinez are the two strikers at his disposal. But, Icardi is facing an uncertain future at San Siro, with the report claiming that he does not feature in Conte’s plans.
Inter are thus, eager to sign a top class replacement for Icardi and have set their sights on Lukaku. The Serie A giants are in favour of engineering a swap deal, as per Gazzetta dello Sport, with Ivan Perisic heading the other way.
The Croat has previously been the subject of interest from Manchester United, although that was back when Jose Mourinho was in-charge of the club. But, it appears as if United do not want Perisic as part of a deal that sees Lukaku head the other way.
Instead, the Red Devils want a straight cash transfer and value their star striker at €70 million. And Manchester United’s stance does make sense, considering they are looking to the future with the signing of Daniel James, who operates in the same positions as Perisic.
Additionally, with Perisic now in his thirties, he will only be a short-term solution, thus making the swap deal unappealing. It now remains to be seen if Inter Milan are prepared to sign Lukaku by shelling out €70 million or if they try and negotiate a more agreeable sum. What appears to be certain is that Manchester United will only part ways with Lukaku for a cash deal.
