Inter’s pursuit of Romelu Lukaku suffered a severe blow yesterday when Manchester United told them the forward would cost more than €88 million, Sky Sports News reported earlier.

Piero Ausilio met United officials in London yesterday and it was made clear to him that Inter’s plan of a loan and further structured payments would not be good enough.

Lukaku wants to join the Nerazzurri but has no desire to make a stand in public, meaning it will be extremely difficult for Inter to secure the Belgian.

“United paid Everton £79m for Lukaku in 2017 and club officials believe that figure is not an accurate valuation in the current market,” James Cooper and Paul Gilmour reported.

“Despite interest from Inter and Juventus no acceptable proposals are yet to emerge for Lukaku, meaning the possibility of staying at Old Trafford cannot be ruled out.”

Inter might be able to afford Lukaku if they can sell Mauro Icardi, but no offers have arrived and the club are also struggling to find buyers for Dalbert, Joao Mario and Radja Nainggolan.
Lukaku has three years left on his deal with United and the Red Devils have the option to extend that by another season if they wish.