Transfer Window Ends: Man United Sell Lukaku, No Deals On Deadline Day

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 31: Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on January 31, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Lukaku Joins Inter Milan

As it was confirmed yesterday, Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan on Deadline Day of English transfer window, leaving Manchester United after prolonged negotiations. The Belgian’s departure from Manchester was a sour one, as the player and the manager did not end things on a positive note. Lukaku was training with Anderlecht’s Under-18 team on Monday and Tuesday, whilst on Wednesday he still did not appear at Carrington.

That was not a surprise, as Lukaku was doing his best to secure a move to Italy which, at one point, looked in real jeopardy, with Juventus getting out of the race to sign him. The club from Turin were closer to sign him when they started negotiating for a Paulo Dybala swap, which would have suited Man United nicely, but the Argentine playmaker did not want to make that move.

In the end, Antonio Conte’s Inter seized their opportunity and Lukaku has joined Nerrazzuri on a deal worth 73 million pounds, or 80 million euros, including add-ons. That is financially a very good deal for Manchester United and there are a couple of reasons for that.

Considering his goalscoring record in the two years at the club, Lukaku is not at the elite level of strikers. With the player pushing for a move out and with Man United without options to keep the player satisfied here, the club managed to almost recoup the money they have spent when they signed the Belgian in 2017.

His time at Man United did not work out in the end. He will be remembered for his decent goalscoring record – but nothing more than that – but also his poor first touch and not great link up play. Truth to be told, he did not play in the most functioning Man United team either, but now all sides will be happy this whole thing is over.

Mandzukic Deal Fell Through

United sold Lukaku, but they failed to find a replacement for him on Deadline Day. That is not a good time to make rushing moves and maybe it is better the Devils did not sign Mario Mandzukic. Whilst we have all seen Ed Woodward is still the master to not plan in advance for the transfer window, the Croatia international was still not that far from joining the Devils.

In the end, Man United could not agree a fee with Juventus. The fee quoted for this transfer was £14m and the player wanted £150,000 a week wages. All of that was deemed too much and Woodward had decided to end the pursuit of Mandzukic, according to The Times.

At 32, Mandzukic would have been a decent short-term option, but one that would best work if Man United actually had a designated out-and-out striker. This way, Mandzukic was never the obvious fit and with his demands, Man United should now try to do best with what they have already got in this team.

Anthony Martial is expected to become the new number nine, with other attackers occasionally joining in. Mason Greenwood could get more chances than it was first expected, too, and that is definitely something Man United fans can get behind.

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