Manchester United and Chelsea set for transfer battle over Everton star Romelu Lukaku - 7M sport

Manchester United and Chelsea set for transfer battle over Everton star Romelu Lukaku



Posted Thursday, March 16, 2017 by Express.co.uk

ROMELU LUKAKU is set to be the prize in a summer tug of war between Manchester United and Chelsea with the latter also eyeing up Everton’s other crown jewel Ross Barkley.

The Belgian striker fired the starting gun on a race for his signature when admitting this week he has no intention of signing a new deal which has two years left to run.

It is understood, however, that Lukaku’s preferred outcome would be a return to Stamford Bridge, with the Blues likely to have to fork out a figure in excess of £60million to land him.

A more worrying development for the Toffees are that Chelsea are considering a double swoop to take Barkley as well with the midfielder yet to extend his own deal which will have just 12 months to run at the end of the current campaign.

Manchester United and Chelsea set for transfer battle over Everton star Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku is reportedly keen on a return to Stamford Bridge

Manchester United and Chelsea set for transfer battle over Everton star Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku is reportedly keen on a return to Stamford Bridge

The Merseyside club will drive a hard bargain with Lukaku and fight tooth and nail to keep Barkley. Yet the club fear the pair will not commit long term to the Toffees.

Chelsea, who suspect they may lose Diego Costa in the summer if the Brazil striker has his head turned once again by Chinese money, will face stiff competition for the signatures of Lukaku and Barkley.

Manchester United are one of a trio of English clubs with the financial muscle to rival Chelsea’s bid and lure Lukaku and they are monitoring his situation while Barkley’s situation is also being tracked by Manchester City who see him as an ideal fit in their attacking midfield roster.

Key to whether United enter the fight for Lukaku’s signature is the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic currently undecided over whether to extend his stay for another year. If Ibrahimovic moves on – he has attracted interest to continue the twilight of his career in both China and the United States – Lukaku becomes the perfect target.

Everton have become increasingly resigned to the Belgian following repeated delays to signing a lucrative five-year deal worth £140,000 a week with him making no secret of his ambition to further his career at a bigger club.

However it was the club’s insistence to insert a buyout clause in Lukaku’s contract as high as £90million guaranteeing them a massive profit on the £28m they paid Chelsea in 2011 which proved the sticking point given it placed a significant hurdle in the way of an onward move.



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