JOSE TRIES HIS LUK AGAIN
Mourinho’s going back for striker he rejected
HUMBLE PIE is not something that features on Jose Mourinho’s menu too often.
The Manchester United boss eats in some of the world’s best restaurants – but never orders anything so unpalatable. But there’s a first time for everything, and it seems Mourinho has decided to swallow his pride and turn to someone he once rejected to help him make United a major force once again. That’s because Mourinho is desperate to lure Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford this summer. United’s Portuguese boss knows he needs a worldclass forward in his ranks after the serious injury to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the fact Wayne Rooney is poised to leave.
It is understood United are willing to break the bank to land Lukaku, offering Everton around £85m and the man himself a long-term deal worth £250,000 a week.
United need more firepower next season, with Swedish star Ibrahimovic stuck on the sidelines until the start of 2018.
Rooney is set to leave Old Trafford, which means Mourinho will be left with just Marcus Rashford as his only striker unless reinforcements are drafted in.
Mourinho has other targets, but news that Lukaku is his first choice represents a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for both parties.
It was Mourinho who, back in August 2014, sold Lukaku to the Toffees when he was Chelsea boss.
Mourinho made the controversial claim the Belgium ace didn’t have the bottle to succeed at Stamford Bridge. Lukaku, who had started just one league game in three seasons at Stamford Bridge, joined Everton in a £28m deal.
Justifying his decision to let Lukaku move on a permanent deal after he had returned from a loan spell at Goodison Park, Mourinho said at the time: “Romelu was always very clear with us that in his mentality and his approach he was not highly motivated to come to a competitive situation at Chelsea.”
Lukaku then hit back at Mourinho, insisting he needed to be at a club “where it felt right” and that he was wanted.
Fast forward to 2017 and the wheel appears to have turned full circle.
Mistake
Lukaku has gone on to thrive on Merseyside, proving he is a top-class forward and consistent goalscorer after all.
Mourinho, meanwhile, has come to realise he might have made a mistake and would like to be reunited with someone who now appears to be a different animal.
The irony will not be lost on Lukaku, who is also wanted by current Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. Lukaku must now decide whether he wants a return to the club where he failed to make the grade or be reunited with a manager who once thought he did not have what it takes.
The key question is whether Lukaku is willing to reach out and accept the olive branch on offer, one that comes with a longterm deal worth around £60m at Old Trafford.
Both United and Chelsea can offer him Champions League football, but the new champions will not be willing to get involved in a financial arm wrestle with Mourinho’s men.
Whatever happens, Lukaku knows he is a man in demand – which wasn’t always the case where Mourinho was concerned.