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According to an exclusive report from The Sun, Manchester United have told Romelu Lukaku that he is free to find a new club this summer with Inter Milan and Juventus keen to sign the forward.
What’s the word, then?
Well, despite not performing too badly in the 2018/19 campaign with 15 goals and four assists to his name, the Belgian international looks set for an Old Trafford exit after holding showdown talks with club officials.
The Red Devils have made it clear that the former Everton star will be sold if an offer in excess of £75m arrives. Lukaku has netted a respectable 42 goals in 96 games for the 20-time English top-flight champions, finding the back of the net roughly once every two games – but it appears his time at the club will now come to an end.
Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…
Everton closing in on cash windfall
Whilst the Anderlecht academy graduate certainly won’t be the beneficiary of this harsh transfer decision by United, his former club Everton certainly will be.
The Times reported earlier this month that the Toffees would be due a £5m cash injection if Lukaku left Old Trafford before the expiry of his contract, which is set to happen in 2022.
The chances of that financial windfall coming Everton’s way now looks to have increased massively after The Sun’s claim that United have told the Belgian he can leave the club, with Inter interested in his services as well as Juventus.
Having already bagged £75m for his services, and with the original deal containing an additional £15m in ‘easily achievable’ add-ons as reported by The Times, the Merseysiders unquestionably got the better of this deal with another £5m looking likely to land in their pockets.
It was an incredibly smart deal of hedge-betting; if Lukaku had gone on to be a success at United, Everton would have pocketed a maximum of £15million, but they’re now benefiting from his apparent struggles instead. Although his return to Goodison Park was short-lived, Lukaku’s 2017 exit also saw Wayne Rooney move the other way.
Everton only finished 12 points behind United in 2018/19 and managed to smash them 4-0 at Goodison Park towards the end of the season. With £5m under their belts and a summer of decent recruitment, the Toffees could get a lot closer to United next term than some people think.