It’s become clear that Manchester United and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has no future at Old Trafford with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer making 21-year-old Marcus Rashford his No. 1 choice in the striker position. Lukaku has been linked with a move to Inter Milan and the Red Devils are holding out for a fee of around £80 million for the striker, having recently dismissed a bid of £54 million from the Italian club, as per Standard.
Lukaku, who joined United from Everton in 2017 for £75 million, is part of the club’s pre-season tour but has not played a single minute due to small niggles, as per the English club’s manager. Inter are reportedly short of funds to sign the Belgian and can only make a bigger bid after the sale of striker Mauro Icardi.
The Premier League side are reportedly targeting the signing of Lille winger Nicolas Pépé, who had a fantastic 2018-19 season for the French club. The report states that Solskjaer wants a replacement for Lukaku and that Pepe is one of his prime targets. Pepe joined Lille from Angers in 2017 and has gone on to light up Ligue 1, scoring 37 goals in two seasons for the club, 23 of which came last season.
A smart move by Ole?
The Ivory Coast international has been linked with a host of clubs following his impressive season and could be a very good signing for most clubs in Europe. The left-footed right-winger has the pace, strength and dribbling ability to blow away defences and cause havoc every time he has the ball at his feet.
Pepe averaged 2.7 dribbles last season for Lille while averaging 3.1 shots per game. He scored 23 goals and completed 12 assists in the season for Lille, thanks to his direct running and vision.
Manchester United desperately need a player who can create something out of nothing, and Pepe could be their man. Solskajer’s style of football has seen Manchester United play on the front foot, and if pre-season is any indication, he looks set to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, with an attacking midfielder playing behind the central striker and two deep-lying midfielders.
The club do not have many quality options out on the right with Jesse Lingard the only natural right-winger in the squad, while new signing Dan James – who predominantly plays on the left – can play on the right. Juan Mata has played on the right as well, but his favoured position is the one behind the striker. The signing of a right-sided wide man to replace Lukaku would mean that Solskjaer could use Anthony Martial as a central striker, while 17-year-old Mason Greenwood could have a bigger role to play in the 2019-20 season.
