Report: Inter director travels to discuss Lukaku deal with United

Inter and Manchester United are set to meet for the first time to discuss the possibility of Romelu Lukaku moving to Milan, according to the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio will be the club's representative in London as it tries to negotiate a two-year loan for the Belgian striker, followed by an obligation to buy.

Romano believes there would be an initial €10-million payment to begin the loan this summer, with further installments of €30 million paid in both 2020 and 2021. The total sum of €70 million is the same number that was reported by Romano last month.

Lukaku was absent from United's open training session in Perth, Australia, on Thursday as speculation mounts about his future, ESPN FC's Rob Dawson reported. Dawson also understands that Lukaku has reiterated a desire to leave Old Trafford despite Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preferring him to stay.

Inter are apparently concerned that United's failure to capture Ivan Perisic two years ago - Inter asked for €50 million and snubbed the England giants' €45-million offer - could scupper hopes of a deal being brokered for Lukaku.

The Inter hierarchy has already backed newly appointed manager Antonio Conte's reign to the tune of around €61 million. Valentino Lazaro, Matteo Politano, Eddie Salcedo, Gabriel Brazao, and Lucien Agoume have all joined on permanent terms, while Stefano Sensi has been loaned from Sassuolo.

Meanwhile, Mauro Icardi is still on Inter's books despite club CEO Giuseppe Marotta publicly stating last week that the Argentinian marksman and midfielder Radja Nainggolan "are not part of our project."