Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku has emerged as one of the most prolific strikers in Europe over the past couple of seasons, and his father has now claimed that Everton are willing to let him go for £65 million.
Romelu Lukaku has made a name for himself as one of the deadliest strikers around, smashing in 25 goals and registering six assists this season. His clinical finishing, technical ability and imposing physical presence have grabbed the attention of a number of top clubs across Europe — including Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Lukaku’s father has now dropped a bombshell about the Belgian’s transfer status, revealing that Everton are willing to accept a transfer fee of £65 million and claiming that he could be on the move even before Euro 2016, which starts on June 10th.
“Everton are asking around £65m for Rom. I think a transfer will be done before the Euros,” Roger Lukaku told Belgian publication Humo. “Romelu will decide his future, but agents have the last word most of the time. I hope and I think Mino Raiola is an honest man.
“Now, with Romelu it will be quickly arranged. Has the transfer been sorted? Almost. I think it will be in place before the European Championship. At the moment I think Manchester United or Bayern Munich are most suitable for him, especially Bayern.
“What is certain, to continue to make progress, he needs to change clubs, but we are mainly engaged in making the right choice.”
Roger Lukaku also ruled out a possible move to the Serie A, dashing the hopes of Italy’s reigning champions Juventus, who were also rumoured to be interested in the forward. The Everton striker’s father claimed that the defensive style of play in the Serie A would not be very helpful for Lukaku to flourish.
No Champions League football at Manchester United
The Red Devils recently finished the 2015-16 season on a sour note, ending in fifth position on the Premier League table behind arch rivals Manchester City. This means that Manchester United will once again be without Champions League football next season after qualifying for Europe’s elite competition just once in their past three campaigns.
Romelu Lukaku has cited his desire for Champions League football as one of the main reasons behind leaving Everton. The 23-year-old forward has enjoyed two excellent seasons at Goodison Park and views Champions League competition as the next logical step in his career.
Manchester United’s lack of Champions League football is now set to cost them much more than ticket prices and prestige. Lukaku would have been the perfect addition to the Red Devils’ attack and has the Premier League experience to start firing from the get go, but Lukaku Senior’s statement suggests that Manchester United would definitely be snubbed if Bayern Munich come up with the right offer.
Competition for Lewandowski at Bayern
Robert Lewandowski has been the main man up front for Bayern Munich this season, achieving superhuman feats like scoring five goals in nine minutes on one occasion. The Bavarians lack a proper back-up for the Polish striker though, with Thomas Muller used to playing deeper and Mario Gotze out of favour and widely believed to be on the way out of the club this summer.
Romelu Lukaku would thus be the perfect signing for Bayern Munich to strengthen their front lines. At the age of 23, Lukaku still has time to develop and could do so under the tutelage of some all-time greats like Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. The Belgian would be in search of regular first-team football though, something that wouldn’t come by often if Bayern stuck with Lewandowski in a formation featuring the lone striker.
However, with incoming manager Carlo Ancelotti set to shake things up at Bayern, Lukaku could be assured a more prominent role in the team. If this were the case, then the Bavarians could snap up the promising striker from Everton before the Euros to make a third big signing of the summer after Renato Sanches and Mats Hummels.
