Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that casual discussions between Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City have begun, as Pep Guardiola looks to identify a replacement for Sergio Aguero – who has agreed to leave the Citizens to join Barcelona at the end of his current contract.
Lukaku, who recently fired Inter to their first Serie A title since 2010, has been in frightening form since he joined the Italian side from Manchester United in 2019, scoring 64 goals in 95 games under the guidance of Antonio Conte.
However, with Conte leaving Inter, as reports suggested the club was gearing up to cash in on some of their key players, Lukaku has been one of those linked with a move away from the Italian capital.
Jones, who was speaking to The Football Terrace, provided listeners with this update on the Belgium international:
“I did a story last week on Lukaku going, potentially to Chelsea, potentially to Man City, both kind of making the initial offers to him, I guess.
“Not official offers, but like discussions that begin to happen ahead of a transfer window about personal terms, stuff like that, the vision of the club, etc.
“Very quickly on the back of that story, Lukaku’s coming out and saying I’m staying at Inter Milan. And you know, a lot of people take that as gospel. And the one thing I’ve learned in this job – I’ve been doing it for quite a long time now – is that the players, a lot of the time, are just saying what’s easiest for them to say in that moment. They can’t tell you a lot of the stuff that’s going on behind the scenes.”
TIF Thoughts on Lukaku returning to the Premier League…
Judging by the form he’s produced during his time in Serie A, Lukaku could be the perfect replacement for Aguero, if Guardiola is unable to entice Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund this summer. Currently valued at £90million by Transfermarkt, and having been signed for £74million by Inter two years ago, it could be argued that only a sizeable fee would be able to secure Manchester City his signature.
City could feel now is the perfect time to try and sign the former Everton and Manchester United star, as Inter have reached the end of their cycle under Antonio Conte, as they now prepare for life under Simone Inzaghi.