Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of sealing his move to Manchester United after they agreed a fee with Everton for the Belgian striker.
United announced in a statement on Saturday that they had reached terms with the Toffees over the transfer of the 24-year-old for a deal understood to be worth an initial £75million.
Lukaku, who has scored 20-plus goals in each of the past three seasons for Everton, is currently in America on holiday and will finalise his switch to Old Trafford upon completing a medical and agreeing personal terms.
The deal has already got the approval of the world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba after United’s French midfielder posted a video of him and Lukaku on Instagram with the caption: “See you tomorrow in training @rlukaku9 #bienvenue #AgentP”.
It is welcome news for United boss Jose Mourinho ahead of his departure for the club’s Stateside pre-season tour on Sunday given the forward department was in obvious need of strengthening this summer.
And Lukaku’s capture will be all the sweeter for the Portuguese given former club Chelsea had long been thought to be keen on bringing him back to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Reports on Friday suggested the Premier League champions had matched United’s bid but it seems as if Lukaku’s reunion will be with his old manager rather than his former employers.
Mourinho was in charge of Chelsea in 2014 when Lukaku was sold to Everton for £28million having failed to score in the 15 appearances he made for the Blues.
Back then Mourinho insisted he could not guarantee Lukaku the first-choice striker role he craved, but a trio of goal-laden campaigns at Goodison Park have convinced him he is now worthy of such trust at Old Trafford.
Though he is in the final stages of completing his transfer, it is not only good news for Lukaku after it also emerged on Saturday that he faces a court appearance in the US in October over “excessive noise” at his temporary west-coast residency.
A Beverly Hills Police Department statement, naming him as Romelu Lukaku Bolingoli, said he must appear before a Los Angeles courthouse on October 2 after confirming he received a citation from officers on July 2 having been given verbal warnings by officers called to the scene.
📹 | What a player @WayneRooney has been for @ManUtd!
— Man Utd Stuff (@ManUtdStuff) July 8, 2017
Absolute legend. pic.twitter.com/PI9RzRu677
Lukaku’s arrival at United is likely to coincide with the departure of Wayne Rooney in the opposite direction, even if it was at first believed the two deals were not linked.
United’s all-time leading scorer Rooney was filmed by Sky Sports News HQ arriving, and then leaving, Everton’s Finch Farm training base on Saturday afternoon as he nears a romantic return to his boyhood club 13 years after he left as a teenager.
Provided by Press Association Sport
