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Owen Humphreys
Late Drama

Over to Lu: Chelsea match Man United's £75m offer for Romelu Lukaku

The 24-year-old was expected to have a medical later today in Los Angeles.

CHELSEA HAVE MADE a desperate attempt to snatch Romelu Lukaku from under the noses of Manchester United by equalling their rivals’ £75m bid for the Everton striker.

However, according to the Telegraph, there is one big difference between the two offers: the reigning Premier League champions are not prepared to fork out the same amount of money in agent’s fees.

Lukaku is represented by Mino Raiola – who also boasts the likes of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as his clients. Over the last 12 months, he’s facilitated all three players’ moves to United.

What makes this Chelsea bid so interesting is that for a long time, it seemed Lukaku was all set for a return to Stamford Bridge and to a club he first joined in 2011.

United only entered the race for his signature earlier this week when they grew tired of Real Madrid’s demands for Alvaro Morata.

When conversations between Chelsea and Lukaku quietened, it’s believed that Raiola tipped United off and that’s when things escalated.

Romelu Lukaku File Photo Lukaku and Pogba are currently together in Los Angeles. Martin Rickett Martin Rickett

Lukaku is currently on holiday in California and has been pictured training alongside Pogba at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

It had been widely expected that he’d have his United medical on Friday ahead of joining up with the club’s pre-season tour on Sunday.

Chelsea will now be anxiously waiting to hear whether or not Lukaku goes through with it.

If he does and the deal is complete, it leaves Blues boss Antonio Conte with a huge headache. Lukaku was a priority, particularly as Conte has told Diego Costa he has no future at Chelsea.

Right now, it’s delicately poised.

Conte will be seething if Chelsea allow the Lukaku deal completely fall apart and similarly, should United lose out on the 24-year-old from this position, it will serve as a public humiliation.

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