Manchester United have confirmed that the club have agreed a fee with Everton for the transfer of Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, also coveted by league champions, Chelsea.

Lukaku is expected to join the Reds for a fee that could top £90m in various add-ons, though is likely to be £75m up front. The deal will include, or have some relation to, the return of United captain Wayne Rooney to his boyhood club, Everton.

Man Utd to sign Lukaku

Man United released the following statement on Saturday morning:

"Manchester United is delighted to announce that it has agreed a fee with Everton for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku. The transfer is subject to a medical and personal terms.

"A further announcement will be made in due course."

Reds beat champions Chelsea to Lukaku

It's a big moment in the transfer window for United and manager José Mourinho, signing their supposed number one target, ahead of Chelsea, who reportedly matched United's bid.

Reporters close to Chelsea suggest that the belief at the London club is that Lukaku's agent Mino Raiola, the agent of Man United stars Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimović , favoured a move to Old Trafford while the player himself in fact preferred a move back to Chelsea.

The Belgian was sold by Mourinho at Chelsea for £28million. Everton will make a very healthy profit on Lukaku. While they cannot replace Lukaku's incredible, consistent goalscoring rate in the Premier League, they gain the return of Rooney as well as significant funds to spend in the transfer market. They have been linked to Arsenal's French forward Olivier Giroud.

Lukaku will likely be unveiled as a United player in Los Angeles, where he is on holiday with new United teammate Pogba. The Reds fly out to the USA on Sunday ahead of a pre-season tour of the country, including an opening game against LA Galaxy on July 15th, potentially a debut for Lukaku.

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About the author
Harry Robinson
Deputy Editor-in-Chief at VAVEL UK, and Manchester United Editor.