Manchester United transfer news: Mario Mandzukic deal off, Bruno Fernandes latest, Romelu Lukaku joins Inter
Transfer round-up: The biggest stories from Old Trafford on deadline day
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United are not confident of bringing Mario Mandzukic to Old Trafford after talks with Juventus stalled over the player’s valuation and wage demands.
United are open to signing a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, and had been in talks over a potential move for Mandzukic.
But after struggling to reach a compromise on the financial aspects of the deal, United now consider the signing of Mandzukic as unlikely.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is understood to be comfortable with the options at his disposal and is only interested in signing the ‘right’ player, rather than any replacement for Lukaku.
The development of young, attacking players such as Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong has also persauded Solskjaer that they can contribute to the first-team this season.
Meanwhile, agent Jorge Mendes reportedly arrived in Manchester to push through a last-gasp deal for his client Bruno Fernandes.
United had been linked with the midfielder all summer but it appeared to lose momentum as the deadline approached.
According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, Mendes is trying to convince United to go ahead with the transfer – though at this stage any move looks unlikely.
Meanwhile, Lukaku has completed a £73.7m move to Inter Milan after just two years at Old Trafford.
Hundreds of Inter fans turned out at Malpensa Airport in Milan to welcome Lukaku in the early hours of Thursday morning, giving the 26-year-old a raucous reception upon his arrival as he waved to supporters alongside his agent Federico Pastorello.
Inter saw an initial €60m (£54m) offer for Lukaku rejected last month before the striker flirted with a move to Juventus as part of a swap deal for Argentina international Paulo Dybala. But those talks collapsed, with Inter resuming their pursuit of the Belgian before the transfer was announced this afternoon.
His departure has been greeted with relief from United’s class of 92, with Phil Neville, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes all expressing their belief that the deal is for the best.
Phil Neville told PA: “He started well, didn’t he? He started well.
“I’ll be honest with you, I never felt as if he was a United centre forward. That was my feeling.
“He admitted he was overweight!” Gary Neville wrote. “He is over 100kg! He’s a Manchester United player! He will score goals and do well at Inter Milan but unprofessionalism is contagious.”
While not as pointed, Scholes does not believe Lukaku suited former team-mate Solskjaer’s style.
“I don’t think he was suited to Ole either,” he said. “Ole wants someone with a bit of energy, a bit of speed, someone who is going to work hard (but) he’ll score goals.”
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