Lukaku speaks on his future amid transfer speculation

  • 27 June 2019

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has refused to rule out a potential move away from Manchester United during this summer’s transfer window. The 26-year-old had a disappointing 2018/19 season where he managed just 15 goals in all competitions and this has spread speculation that United may seek to replace him ahead of next season.

When asked about the same, Lukaku remained relatively unperturbed and said that he will discuss his future with both the club and his representative, he told: “I’ll speak with my club and my agent Federico Pastorello to make the best decision. I am going to enjoy my holidays with my family now. I know what I’ll do, but won’t say it. We’ll see. Do I expect a busy summer? Yes. I’ve had a difficult season at club level. I lost my place and haven’t played much. But that is a phase in my career and it will help me for the next step.”

Lukaku had been the first-choice striker under former boss Jose Mourinho but he has not been able to command a similar role with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking over at the helm. During the backend of the season, Marcus Rashford was regularly preferred ahead of Lukaku to lead the attack and it remains to be seen how the club deal with the situation.

According to reports, Inter Milan are understood to be keeping a close eye on Lukaku’s situation and they could make an approach with Antonio Conte said to be a huge admirer of the former Chelsea man. Still, United are deemed to value Lukaku at around £80m and that figure could prove a stumbling block for the Nerazzurri to pursue the marksman.

Meanwhile, reports from Spain suggest that Ole has the preference of pursuing Wissam Ben Yedder from Sevilla and the Frenchman could emerge as a direct replacement for Lukaku. The former Bordeaux man could be available for around £35.6m based on the release clause present on his Sevilla contract.