Lukaku has NOT signed for Man City.
Yet another of Europe`s top talents, Romelu Lukaku, has snubbed Chelsea, preferring to become the 23rd striker on Manchester City`s books. Except that this time the rumour is rubbish.
Yesterday Belgian football magazine Sport/Foot wrote an excitable piece that Lukaku, the 17 year-old who has set the Belgian Jupiler League on fire (not literally) was on the cusp of signing with Manchester City with a view to joining the club in the summer. Sport/Foot pointed out that he would join his team-mate in the Belgian national team, Vincent Kompany, at City. That`s quite a coup for City: Lukaku scored 15 goals last season when he broke into the Anderlecht first team. This season he already has 10 to his name … as well as two for the Belgian national team.
"Lukaku has already reached an agreement with Manchester City for a transfer in July", said the magazine. "The Manchester club overtook the favourites for his signature, Liverpool and Chelsea". Apparently Lukaku`s lawyers and agents were meeting on Wednesday to tie up the contract having worked for two weeks. Only this week, Lukaku had expressed his preference to go to the Premier League, turning his back on one of his suitors: Real Madrid. He`d also declared his admiration for Didier Drogba, which many interpreted as a 'come-and-get-me` plea to Chelsea.
But having been pipped by Manchester City, it would appear that the age-old 'XXXX snubs Chelsea to sign for YYYYY` headline was being revived. Cue also a load of articles asking whether Chelsea still have it in the transfer market. Since Chelsea were the favourites for some time, many in the UK media portrayed this as a particularly hurtful failure for Chelsea.
The only problem: the rumour in Sport/Foot magazine is rubbish. The real situation is that City are interested, but that that is it. Apparently the rumour was put out there by a load of agents who wanted to turn the rumour into fact. So declares the Belgian daily newspaper 'La Dernière Heure / Les Sports`, which is not one of the best newspapers in Belgium but which is an authority when it comes to the sport in the country.
Manchester City is one of many clubs interested in the Red Devil, alongside a number of other Big English Clubs. But City`s involvement does not go any further. No negotiation has taken place between Anderlecht and City. Discussions will / could take place in the coming months. As with any other of Lukaku`s suitors.
And La Dernière Heure concludes that this is a saga that still has a lot of legs in it.
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