As Wayne Rooney moves back to his boyhood team on a free transfer and Zlatan Ibrahimovic moves on, Jose Mourinho has secured the services of one of the Premier League's hottest talents in Romelu Lukaku. The 24-year-old Belgian striker netted 25 goals for Everton last season and should be an ideal replacement up front for Zlatan.
Chelsea's Conte left seething
It had been thought for some time that Lukaku was on his way back to Chelsea and Antonio Conte had said that the premier league champions were to sign the Belgian " at any cost." It must be infuriating for him to find that his main target has been snatched from under his nose by the ex-Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho.
Job done for Mourinho
As well as gaining a massively in-form striker to replace Ibrahimovic, Mourinho has thumbed his nose at his ex-employers as he continues to build a team to rival Chelsea in a challenge for the title. It also means that United have now called off any plans they previously had to secure the services of Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata. The deal for Morata stalled somewhat when the Spanish giants refused to budge on their asking price of around £80 million meaning Mourinho turned to a player he already knew from his Chelsea days.
How good is Lukaku?
There is no doubt that Lukaku is a proven goalscorer. His career began at the age of 16 when he signed for Anderlecht. He played for them 73 times scoring 33 goals.
He signed a five-year contract with Chelsea in 2011 but found it difficult to get regular first team action and ended his time there with only 10 appearances and failing to score. He went on loan to West Bromwich Albion for the 2012-13 season where his goalscoring touch returned as he netted 17 goals in 35 appearances. Still only 20 years old he moved to Everton and from there, his career has blossomed.
he has scored 53 times for The Toffees in 110 games. He began his international career with Belgium in 2010 and has since represented his country 57 times, scoring 20 goals.
He was courted by Everton's most lucrative contract offer ever in March 2017 to stay at the club but in a statement, he said " I don't want to stay at the same level.
I want to improve and I know where I want to do that." With Champions League football for Manchester United next season and the World Cup in 2018, it looks like it could be a busy year for Romelu Lukaku.
It is hoped that the formalities of the deal will be completed in time for the young striker to join Manchester United's pre-season trip to the United States on Sunday.
