Romelu Lukaku doesn’t know if he will be at Manchester United next season amid speculation over a move to Italy.
The Belgium striker admitted last week that it would be ‘a dream’ to play in Serie A, and his new agent Federico Pastorello is understood to have approached a number of Italian teams in recent months.
Juventus or Inter Milan could emerge as options if Antonio Conte — who tried to sign Lukaku for Chelsea when the player moved to United from Everton in 2017 — takes over at either club this summer.
Lukaku’s £250,000-a-week wages could be a stumbling block, and United would want to recoup the £75million transfer fee and £15m in add-ons they agreed to pay Everton for a striker who has since scored 42 goals in 96 appearances. The 25-year-old still has three years left on his contract at Old Trafford but wouldn’t commit to United when asked about his future following the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday.
“Me? I don’t know,” said Lukaku. “I am not here to entertain rumours. I am still under contract.”
Pastorello fuelled the speculation last month when he discussed Lukaku’s interest in moving to Italy.
“At the moment he is very focused on finishing the season,” said the agent. “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. 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.”
“He likes Italy. When he was a child he followed the Italian league a lot. Everybody agrees today the Premier League is the best but years ago Italy was the best and they were the dreams for the younger footballer players.”
Former United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville questioned Lukaku’s fitness levels after he started brightly against Chelsea and helped set up the opening goal for Juan Mata, but tired after that. Neville suggested that United have ‘a big decision’ to make over Lukaku’s future, but the Belgian believes the players need time to get used to the more intense approach under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“It is a different playing style now,” he added. “There is more intensity and you have to be physically prepared. I am not going to complain, I just look at the positive things.”
Lukaku gave his backing to team-mate David de Gea after the under-fire goalkeeper dropped another clanger against Chelsea when he spilled Antonio Rudiger’s long-range shot and gifted an equaliser to Marcos Alonso.
“I don’t think we should discredit him and suddenly say he is a bad goalkeeper,” said Lukaku. “He has saved us so many times this season. We are here to support him. He is strong. Mentally he is really, really strong or else he wouldn’t have been the best player at the club for seven or eight years. There is no doubting his ability.”
“It happens to strikers, it happens to midfielders and now it is happening to him. He has to learn from it. Goalkeepers always have a spell when it might be difficult. He had a bad time at the start of his United career, as I remember. He was just a kid then but came through it. He did what he had to do then turned it round, won trophies and became the best player at the club. He is a leader in the dressing-room. Now it is up to us as a team to help him and trust his abilities.”
