Chelsea reportedly offered £75 million for Romelu Lukaku Friday, matching Manchester United’s previous offer.
The tug-of-war between Manchester United and Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku continued Friday, as Chelsea bid £75 million for the Everton striker, per BBC sources.
The Blues were thought to be leading the race until various reports on Thursday suggested United were closing in on signing the Belgian after making a £75 million bid.
The two sides are both desperate to sign a new forward. United parted ways with Zlatan Ibrahimovich after one season, meaning their current first-choice striker is Marcus Rashford, a talented youngster, but not the established star Jose Mourinho will need to challenge domestically and in the Champions League next season.
The Blues’ star striker, meanwhile, is halfway out the door. Diego Costa is still technically a Chelsea player, but was told earlier in the summer that he isn’t in Antonio Conte’s plans, and has been heavily linked with a return to his old club, Atletico Madrid.
With Alexandre Lacazette finalizing a move to Arsenal this week, and Antoine Griezmann choosing to stay put in Madrid after news of Atletico’s transfer ban, the only other elite forward option on the market appears to be Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata.
Morata has been linked with both United and Chelsea this summer as well, but Real are expected to put a big price tag on the young Spaniard. Then again, if Lukaku’s going to cost £75 million or more, it seems unlikely Morata could ever be prohibitively expensive.
Next: 25 best club soccer teams of all time
This latest development should nonetheless be encouraging news for Chelsea fans. The club have yet to finalize any significant transfers so far this summer, despite winning the title last season and securing a return to the Champions League. If nothing else, this bid signals they’re not willing to give up on their first-choice transfer targets without a fight.
Add us as a preferred source on Google