Manchester United and Chelsea are locked in a £100 million battle, according to latest reports, as both clubs are keen on signing Belgian international Romelu Lukaku. The 23-year-old forward has become one of the top transfer targets for Premier League clubs. There were reservations about the player before he made the switch to Everton a couple of years ago. It was a reason behind Chelsea deciding to sell the beast striker, but he has grown into one of the top strikers in the last two years. After being linked with a return to Chelsea for around £60 million last summer, his transfer value has shot up even further following a spectacular campaign.
Lukaku scored 25 league goals and finished above Alexis Sanchez (24) and Sergio Aguero (20). Only Harry Kane scored more goals than the Belgian and it was largely down to a flurry of goals in the last two games of the season. If not, Lukaku could have ended up with the Golden Boot award. Clubs may opt to take advantage of the player’s progress and his desire to play in the Champions League on a regular basis. Chelsea were seen as the only club in the race to sign the player, but we have also joined in the race after securing Champions League football for next season.
The victory over the Ajax in the Europa League final has been crucial. Even if Manchester United possess an incredible heritage and brand value, it seems that we need Champions League in order to attract marquee names. Furthermore, Chelsea have the advantage of a club well known to the player as he spent a couple of years at West London before coming to Everton.
Manchester United are in the market for a new forward, but one of our top transfer targets has been highly sceptical about a move to Old Trafford. Atletico Madrid Antoine Griezmann recently rated the chances of moving to Old Trafford as 6/10. This is likely to keep Chief executive Ed Woodward on his toes. Recently, the club have increased of the transfer kitty to £300 million after securing the Champions League football. A significant portion of this budget may be used to sign Lukaku, as Everton now value the player around £100 million. Even though it would mean a new world record transfer fee, Everton believe that they can take advantage of the bidding war between United and Chelsea.
More than the blues, United are in great need of a top centre-forward and Lukaku will just be able to solve those needs.
