Happy Monday! Manchester United are currently in the midst of their International Champions Cup campaign, with a match against the current “holders” of the “silverware” Tottenham Hotspur coming up on Thursday. We have just 17 days until the transfer window closes, so let’s take a spin around the latest silly season narratives, starting first with striker Romelu Lukaku.
This is just a drawn out transfer saga that poses the possibility of running all the way until deadline day.
What’s going to be the key to getting the Lukaku to Inter Milan deal finally done? When the two sides are reportedly so far apart in their valuations of the Belgian? Maybe another Inter player will have to be thrown in with the money to make it a package deal? Maybe the two sides got some transfer negotiations in when they met in their ICC friendly on Saturday?
The player plus cash certainly won’t be Mauro Icardi, likely for several reasons, including the reality that United are reportedly not interested in negotiating with the player’s wife and agent Wanda Nara. Maybe the add-in player will be winger Ivan Perisic, a very long time United target?
According to Italian publication Calciomercato, new manager Antonio Conte is skeptical about the 30-year-old’s fit in his system. He’s under contract until 2022, so he has plenty of value in this deal, especially with Arsenal thought to be keen.
Are United though? Do they have the same level of interest that they did when Jose Mourinho was in charge?
Finally, the latest on another protracted transfer situation, the very elusive in the market centre back Harry Maguire. B/R reported yesterday that an agreement had been reached for the £80 million transfer of the Leicester City man, and although they are obviously a very credible source, we remain skeptical.
It was just last Sunday that pretty much all the English tabloids jumped the gun and declared a deal done. We’ll see.
Just a few hours ago, The Independent posted an article saying the signing is now “imminent”.
Miguel Delaney writes: “The 2016 champions had been holding out for a deal worth £80m in total, and United are understood to have come up with acceptable terms, with around £10m wrapped up in conditional clauses.”
Again though, the deal is not done until it’s actually done, so don’t hold your breath until it’s officially official.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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