Report: Manchester United, Everton reach £75M agreement for Lukaku
A tepid transfer window is threatening to reach a boiling point as Premier League clubs prepare for their pre-season excursions.
Manchester United, which flies out to tour the United States on Sunday, is apparently nearing a deal for Romelu Lukaku. The move would effectively end the club's interest in Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata.
United already has a £75-million fee agreed with Everton for its top scorer in each of the past four seasons, reports BBC Sport's Simon Stone. The switch would sensationally end long-term rumours that Lukaku is poised to rejoin Chelsea, the club he left on a permanent basis in 2014.
The expected Lukaku signing is unrelated to Everton's increased efforts to return Wayne Rooney to Merseyside, a story which was reported on Wednesday.
Lukaku, 24, scored 25 league goals last season despite a lurking disenchantment from the Goodison Park faithful over the supposedly derisory service he was getting. He's proved a devastating finisher throughout his career - becoming the Belgian top-tier's top scorer at just 16 - and would be charged with filling the boots of the released Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford.
The lines of communication between Lukaku's representatives and United were already buzzing from recent transfer business. The striker's agent, Mino Raiola, also represents Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, all of whom are under his wing and signed for United last summer.
The Red Devils are hoping Lukaku will link up with the squad for the upcoming Stateside jaunt, where Jose Mourinho's side takes on the LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.