Jose Mourinho is said to be frustrated at Steve Woodward’s failure to add to Victor Lindelof. No one is better aware of possible consequences of a disappointing transfer window than the Portuguese manager, having been sacked seven months after delivering the Premier League. United’s transfer activity has stalled somewhat after a promising start with marquee target Antoine Griezmann choosing to stay with Atletico Madrid, to help the club tide over the transfer ban imposed on them. Other reported targets like Morata and Matic are nowhere close to fruition with Real Madrid haggling over the price of Morata and Conte refusing to release Matic without having secured necessary reinforcements.
Latest reports of Manchester United agreeing on a fee with Everton are making the rounds as the player remains on his extended holiday at LA. Bought as an 18-year-old from Anderlecht, his imposing physique and movement drew comparisons with Didier Drogba. Touted as the successor of the Ivorian legend, the journey towards establishing himself hasn’t been entirely straightforward. He failed to make an instant impact at Chelsea barely featuring in the club’s Champions League winning season. He was loaned out to West-Bromwich Albion the next season and subsequently to Everton where he signed permanently in the summer of 2014.
It was reported that Mourinho, the then Chelsea coach, dissuaded the board from adding a buy-back clause to the Belgian’s contract with Everton. Sold by the Portuguese and also having closed the door on the player’s possible return to Chelsea, it is indeed intriguing that the player’s representatives have indicated a preference on behalf of Lukaku for Manchester United.
Jose Mourinho should be very interested in adding a proven Premier-League player who went on a rampage last season returning impressive figures of 25 League goals and 6 assists. Reportedly priced anywhere between £89m and an eye-watering £100m in an inflated market, Manchester United are among a handful of clubs who can afford the player. But with Chelsea firmly in the driving seat for the Belgian’s signature and a reported mutual affinity between the player and Michael Emenalo, Chelsea’s technical director, it is quite the coup that Manchester United seem to have pulled off in agreeing on a deal for the Belgian centre-forward.
Paul Pogba was seen partying with Lukaku, celebrating the 4th of July in LA which had sent the tabloids into a tizzy.
With the BBC confirming that Manchester United have agreed a £75m fee with Everton for Romelu Lukaku, the news has come as a shocker to many. Although there are reports emerging that the deal could be gazumped by Chelsea at the last moment, at this stage that seems like an unlikely possibility. Transfer window watchers had mostly predicted Alvaro Morata going the United way having finally found common ground with Florentino Perez. One wonders how Chelsea would react to these recent developments having been heavily linked with the forward for some time now. With Diego Costa set to leave and Antonio Conte reportedly miffed with the Chelsea hierarchy for their lackadaisical movement in the transfer window, it remains to be seen how Chelsea react to this setback.
Meanwhile, the Machiavellian Portuguese, one dares speculate, is “the happy one” again for the time being.
