Manchester United Transfer News: Romelu Lukaku, Sadio Mane, Latest Rumours

Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Everton’s in-form forward Romelu Lukaku in the summer transfer window, with the Belgium international said to be on the club’s list of targets.

According to James Dickenson of the Daily Express, the former Chelsea forward, Tottenham Hotspur man Harry Kane, plus Leicester City pair Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez could all be targeted in a summer spree that could reach £200 million.

Lukaku is the name that may whip up most excitement among United fans, though, especially after the 22-year-old’s blistering beginning to the Premier League season.

As we can see here courtesy of Squawka Football, the former Anderlecht prodigy has been ruthless in front of goal as of late:

It’s only natural that he’ll catch the attention of the established elite as a result. Lukaku is young, clearly hungry to go to the very top of the game and has all the attributes in place to do so.

For a side like United, it's needless to say he’d be ideal. In the striking department at the moment, manager Louis van Gaal has a past-his-best Wayne Rooney to call upon and the prodigious-but-raw Anthony Martial. Lukaku, having refined his game during his spell at Everton, is somewhere in between at this point.

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The Belgian would surely have to think carefully before making a move to Old Trafford, though. As former United man Danny Higginbotham noted this week, most forwards would find goals difficult to come by given the pedestrian football the Red Devils currently play:

Lukaku is currently at a team that is set up for him to thrive. Gerard Deulofeu, Arouna Kone and Ross Barkley all supplement him superbly in a cavalier Everton team, and at the point of the attack, the striker is there to finish off any enterprising moves.

Lukaku is clearly a very intelligent young man, and having made a big-money move earlier in his career to one of the game’s richest teams, he will know the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

United could be a brilliant club for him down the line, but at the moment, his game would be inhibited rather than enriched at Old Trafford.

United Chasing Sadio Mane and Ryan Bertrand

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Manchester United will test the resolve of Southampton to keep their best players in January, with reports suggesting they’ll make a concerted effort to land both Sadio Mane and Ryan Bertrand.

According to Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star, the Red Devils are ready to spend big midseason as they seek to salvage a Premier League title challenge from a disappointing campaign so far. Cross claims both Mane and Bertrand are on their wishlist.

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Both have been strong performers this term in what has been an erratic season for the Saints. Bertrand is growing week after week as a rounded left-back, while Mane has shown he can utilise his physicality and trickery in a variety of different positions out on the field.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe thinks the Senegal international would be an ideal fit for the Red Devils:

United may have pillaged Southampton for Luke Shaw and Morgan Schneiderlin previously, but it’d be a big surprise to see the Saints buckle midseason.

Indeed, their manager Ronald Koeman has previously made his stance on Mane very clear, insisting he wouldn’t even sell the winger if a team was to offer £100 million, per Michael Kelleher of Sky Sports.

These are the kinds of problems United will have in January. Nobody wants to see their squad disrupted midseason, and if a departure does become inevitable, the selling club will want big money for their assets.

While the Red Devils may well have money to burn in the window, spending it astutely is another challenge entirely.