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Romelu Lukaku to Inter: Manchester United striker arrives in Milan after £73.7m offer accepted

Belgian striker pictured waving to Inter fans upon his arrival after United agree to sell him just two years on from his £75m signing

Jack de Menezes
Thursday 08 August 2019 10:55 BST
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Transfer deadline day summer 2019: The deals done so far

Romelu Lukaku has arrived in Milan after an €80m fee was agreed with Manchester United for his permanent transfer on deadline day.

The Press Association reports that United have accepted a £73.7m offer from Inter Milan to sell the Belgian striker after just two years at Old Trafford, with manager OIe Gunnar Solskjaer happy for the forward to leave the club this summer as part of his summer revamp.

Hundreds of Inter fans turned out at Malpensa Airport in Milan to welcome Lukaku in the early hours of Thursday morning, giving the 26-year-old a raucous reception upon his arrival as he waved to supporters alongside his agent Federico Pastorello.

Inter saw an initial €60m (£54m) offer for Lukaku rejected last month and saw the striker flirt with a move to Juventus as part of a swap deal for Argentina international Paulo Dybala, only for talks to collapse and Inter resume their pursuit of the Belgian.

And Lukaku’s agent appeared to confirm the imminent move himself late on Wednesday night, when he posted an image on Instagram of himself and the striker on a private jet destined for the Italian city, with the caption: “Ready to take of ... direction Milano.”

Having seen a swap deal with Juventus collapse due to Paulo Dybala's reluctance to go the other way, Antonio Conte's Nerazzurri returned with another bid as Lukaku started the week training with former club Anderlecht.

United's players had a day off on Monday and it was reported that Lukaku was expected back in Manchester on Tuesday with the rest of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.

However, Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws published a photo of the striker training with Anderlecht once again - a matter United declined to comment on when contacted by PA.

The player had joined the Old Trafford giants on their pre-season tour of Australia and Asia but failed to feature in any of their four matches due to knocks. He was also absent for the friendlies against Kristiansund and AC Milan upon returning to Europe.

Lukaku scored 42 times in 96 games as a United player but he failed to find the net in any of his final eight appearances for the club, with his last goals coming in the dramatic 3-1 win away to Paris Saint-Germain in early March.

Additional reporting by PA

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