Manchester United's pursuit of Andre Onana could help Chelsea offload wantaway attacker to Inter Milan: Reports
Chelsea could allegedly offload Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan following the sale of Andre Onana to Manchester United in the upcoming week.
Lukaku, 30, has been marked as a potential summer outgoing over the past couple of months due to his strained relationship with the Blues. He is said to be not a part of Mauricio Pochettino's plans for next term.
A left-footed powerful striker, the Belgian spent past season on loan at Inter Milan. He failed to reach his usual heights in the Nerazzurri kit, registering 14 goals and seven assists in 37 matches last campaign.
In his column for Caught Offside, reporter Ben Jacobs shed light on how Inter could lure Lukaku away from Stamford Bridge. He wrote:
"Inter Milan will need to use some of the Onana fee to try and strike a deal with Chelsea to rope in Lukaku. The Blues want to do a deal but are looking for around £38 million and Inter's latest rejected bid was about £17 million too short.
"Lukaku has delayed his return to Chelsea until July 17, and it's still thought a transfer can be done."
Lukaku, whose current deal is set to run out in June 2026, could prove to be a fine signing for Inter should a potential deal is completed. He would fill the void left by Edin Dzeko, who recently joined Fenerbahce.
Overall, Lukaku has scored 15 goals in 59 appearances for Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi's side are expected to offload Onana to the Red Devils in the near future. They rejected United's first bid of around £38 million, but are set to let go of their star goalkeeper for £51 million.
Manchester United are aiming to sign Onana as they released David de Gea this month. They are expected to accelerate the potential deal in the upcoming couple of days, as per Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla.
Mason Mount takes dig at ex-club Chelsea after completing Manchester United switch
Speaking to MUTV, Mason Mount claimed that he decided to leave his former club Chelsea for Manchester United after realizing their plans. He said:
"Several months ago, it became clear that I wasn't in Chelsea's plans moving forward. Once United were involved... I made my decision."
Expressing his excitement on joining Manchester United, Mount added:
"A massive club, huge iconic players have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early and ready for the pre-season to start was one of the main objectives of mine too."
Mount, 24, penned a five-year contract following his permanent switch worth up to £60 million to the Old Trafford outfit on Tuesday (July 4).
Overall, the Manchester United midfielder contributed 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances for the Mauricio Pochettino-coached side.