Man United take the Pogba route with Lukaku
United have rejected Inter's most recent Lukaku offer, as the Red Devils adopt the same hard-ball stance as that taken in negotiations with Real Madrid over Paul Pogba.
Romelu Lukaku is not wasting a day of the pre-season. Although the Belgian striker has not participated in any of Manchester United’s pre-season fixtures (his last game was in June with Belgium), he is taking advantage of his free days to stay in shape while he waits for the club and Inter Milan to come to an agreement on his future.
On Monday, Lukaku trained with Anderlecht after he reportedly wrote to the club’s under-18 coach asking if he could participate in a training session on his day off. The United striker was again spotted training with the Belgian club on Tuesday, with reports in the UK claiming that he has been frozen out of United's first team squad until his move to Italy is resolved.
Inter return to pole position to land Lukaku
Inter are still deep in talks with United over the 26-year-old, who remains a top priority for coach Antonio Conte. But with just two days until the close of the English transfer market, United have apparently rejected Inter's most recent offer of 75 million euros and are holding out for a figure closer to 83 million euros – as the Red Devils adopt the same hard-ball stance as that taken in negotiations with Real Madrid over Paul Pogba.
While Inter has been the club most heavily linked with Lukaku in recent weeks, their Serie A rivals Juventus recently came in with a strong proposal for United which included a swap deal involving Paulo Dybala.
However, the Argentine striker's salary demands and agent commission fees turned out to be a deal breaker, leaving Inter once again in pole position to secure the Belgium international, with Napoli now in the running behind them.