Romelu Lukaku has moved a step closer to leaving Old Trafford for Italy after describing Inter Milan’s new manager Antonio Conte as ‘the best manager in the world’.
Lukaku has made it clear that he would welcome a transfer to Italy two years after joining Manchester United for a fee of £75million and rejecting the opportunity play for Conte at Chelsea.
United are prepared to listen to offers for the Belgium international but want to recoup the exact transfer fee they paid to sign him from Everton in the summer of 2017.
Inter value the 26-year-old closer to £50m and would prefer to include players as part of the deal, although that offer is believed to have been rejected by Manchester United.
Inter Milan are now expected to make a bid for Lukaku after he heaped praise on Conte – although they face competition from Juventus where current Maurizio Sarri could join Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin next campaign.
‘I was always a big fan of the Italian league,’ said Lukaku after scoring a brace in Belgium’s Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Scotland.
‘People close to me, they know I have two leagues that I always dreamed about, which is the Premier League and the Serie A, so you know, I love Italy.
‘With the transfer of Ronaldo, the Italian league is now coming back.
‘Now Antonio Conte going back to Inter, which is really good because, to me, he’s the best manager in the world.
‘Then you have Maurizio Sarri going to Juventus, Ancelotti at Naples. I think Serie A will be really exciting next year and I’m really happy for Italian football.
‘Conte knows what I think about him. You know I’m not somebody who likes to talk about my personal relationship with managers, but I’m a Manchester United player.
‘I have a contract and I have to respect my club. If something happens, you know, I think the teams and my agents have to do the talking. I just make my decision and stay out of it.’
Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has worked closely with Inter and Juventus in the past, and is hoping to get a deal done this summer.
Inter want to sell a number of players, notably striker Mauro Icardi, and are interested in bringing Edin Dzeko from Roma in addition to Lukaku.
United could still keep the Belgian, but his future has been in doubt since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer became manager in December and made Marcus Rashford his number one striker.
‘I’ve had a difficult season at club level,’ said Lukaku. ‘I lost my place and haven’t played much. But that is a phase in my career and it will help me for the next step.
‘I have a contract with Man United. I’ll speak with my club and my agent to make the best decision.
‘I am going to enjoy my holidays with my family now. I know what I’ll do, but won’t say it. We’ll see. Do I expect a busy summer? Yes.’
