Manchester United superstar Romelu Lukaku is set to hold showdown talks over his future at the end of the season according to his representative.
Romelu Lukaku will discuss his future at Manchester United once the ongoing season draws to a close and is completely focused on helping the Red Devils’ push for a top four finish, the Belgian striker’s representative Federico Pastorello has told Sky Sports.
Lukaku joined Manchester United in the summer of 2017 from Everton in a deal worth £75 million. The Belgian had a solid debut campaign with the Red Devils, that saw him score 27 goals in 51 matches across all competitions. The 2018-19 campaign has been an inconsistent one for the 25-year-old, but a recent upturn of form has seen him take his tally to 15 strikes in 39 matches.
Lukaku is contracted with Manchester United till the summer of 2022, with the club having the option of extending it by a further year. However, the Belgian powerhouse has flirted with the idea of an exit before, hinting that a move to Italian champions Juventus would appeal to him.
Since he made the claim, Lukaku has gone from being first-choice striker under Jose Mourinho to falling behind Marcus Rashford in the pecking order after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought in. The striker’s representative, Pastorello, though has claimed that he is only focused on helping Manchester United achieve a top four finish and will hold talks regarding his future once the season ends.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Pastorello said, “At the moment he is very focused on finishing the season. The competition for third and fourth place in England is very tight so let’s see what will happen in the future at the end the season.”
Pastorello then went on to add that Lukaku dreams of testing himself in Italy, while a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona would also appeal to the 25-year-old Belgian. “It’s his second season here and he will still have three years on his contract until the end. Let’s see. He’s someone who loves to know a different culture, a different football.”
“He sees a way to have a career playing in different countries because he would like to win some trophies and prove himself and say to his children ‘I won there and I won there and I won there’ and ‘I was a very good player in all the top championships’ so let’s see, the future is really very open but, at the moment, we don’t discuss about that because really the season is in a big moment.”
“He likes Italy. When he was a child he followed a lot the Italian league. Teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona of course attract any champion so he sees also in La Liga one day,” Pastorello added.
Lukaku’s playing time has improved a lot over the past month, with him starting 7 of Manchester United’s last 10 matches. However, judging by his representative’s statements, it seems like the Belgian is contemplating his future at the club. Then again, it could very well be a ploy to get a new and bigger contract. It will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming months.
