KEY POINTS
- Romelu Lukaku moved from Old Trafford to Inter Milan in 2019
- He has scored 58 goals in 82 games for Inter so far
- He played only two seasons at Man Utd between 2017 and 2019
Inter Milan are being pressurized by Manchester United after missing a bonus payment deadline for Romelu Lukaku.
The bonus is believed to be around $60 million. Manchester United have told Inter Milan they can forgo the bonus, provided the San Siro side offers Red Devils either Lautaro Martinez or Milan Skriniar as compensation, Italian publication Corriere dello Sport reported.
Moreover, Manchester United have also ensured Inter Milan they would pay the difference as each player is worth more than $60 million.
The 23-year-old Martinez has been a key player at Inter Milan since his arrival at San Siro in 2018. He has scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 34 matches, across all competitions, in the underway campaign. Overall, Martinez, who is Lionel Messi’s teammate at Argentina and was once FC Barcelona’s top target, has netted 72 career first-team goals in 178 matches.
Meanwhile, Skriniar has been a great force in Inter Milan’s backline. The center-back has been associated with the Italian side since 2017.
Lukaku moved from Old Trafford to Inter Milan at a club-record fee of $96 million in the summer of 2019. According to a clause in Lukaku’s contract, Inter Milan would have to pay a certain bonus to Manchester United within a certain period of time, which the San Siro side has not done yet. If Inter Milan failed to meet the deadline, the club would become a debtor to the Red Devils for the outstanding sum. The Italian newspaper has also stated if Inter Milan did not clear their dues by the end of the month, they could be denied a license for European competition next season, as per UEFA’s rules.
The 27-year-old Lukaku kickstarted his professional career at Belgian club Anderlecht before moving to Chelsea in the Premier League. While he made only 15 first-team appearances for the Blues, he was sent off on loan to West Brom and Everton before he joined the Goodison Park side permanently. The talented center-forward caught everyone’s attention while at Everton, where he netted 87 goals in 166 competitive games.
Ahead of the 2017-18 season, Manchester United signed Lukaku at a hefty fee of $125 million. He spent only two years at Old Trafford, scoring 42 goals in 96 games, across all competitions. In the summer of 2019, the Nerazzurri signed Lukaku, who went on to have a brilliant first season at San Siro. He netted 34 goals in 51 competitive games as he helped Inter Milan reach the final of the Europa League. Unfortunately, the Italian side lost 3-2 to Seville in the final in Germany.
Inter forward Romelu Lukaku scored in his fourth consecutive Serie A Milan derby. Photo: AFP / MIGUEL MEDINA
In the ongoing season, Lukaku has not suffered any dip in form as he has scored 24 goals in 31 games, including 18 goals and six assists in Serie A. After 24 league games and a match in hand, Inter Milan are three points clear at the top of the 2020-21 Serie A table.
