Could Romelu Lukaku be Inter Milan’s alternative to Mauro Icardi?

As reports continue to heat up regarding the situation between Inter Milan and forward Mauro Icardi – specifically on whether the Argentinian will return to the squad, a name has surfaced as a potential replacement.

Manchester United forward Romelu Lukaku has joined the short list of potential replacements if the Nerazzurri part ways with Icardi over the summer.

Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

A report from Calciomercato says the Red Devils have contacted both Juventus and Inter Milan regarding a potential price for the Belgian.

That price is rumored to be around €50 million.

Inter could be weighing their options after a tumultuous few weeks that started when Icardi was stripped of his captaincy and refused to play in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 match with Rapid Wien.

Icardi has not seen the pitch since that time and has since claimed a knee injury is at the heart of his absence from the lineup. However, an MRI could find no other issues outside of what was previously found before the season started.

Inter CEO Beppe Marotta has said the club will offer Icardi a new contract that could pay him between €6.5 million and €7 million per season, but there is no word on whether that deal has been passed along to Icardi.

Additionally, new news surfaced Wednesday that Napoli could be interested in landing Icardi, if he does leave Inter Milan this summer. However, it is difficult to imagine Napoli ponying up €11 million per season to Icardi as was reported.

Juventus’ interest in Lukaku stems from their need to find a potential replacement for Mario Mandzukic, who isn’t getting any younger, and Paulo Dybala, who could leave the club this summer. In fact, Inter Milan has been listed as a potential landing spot for Dybala.

Lukaku joined Manchester United from Everton in 2017 for an €84 million fee. His contract runs through the 2022 season with the option for one more year.

The Belgian international has 10 goals in 25 matches for Manchester United, including a brace against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Internationally, Lukaku has made 79 appearances for Belgium, scoring 45 goals.

At 25 years old, Lukaku is still young enough for Inter to get quite a bit of work out of him. He certainly doesn’t seem to carry the same kind of baggage as Icardi.

Of note, his brother Jordan Lukaku plays for SS Lazio while his cousin, Boli Bolingoli-Mdombo plays for Rapid Wien – Inter’s round of 32 Europa League opponent.

What do you think? Post your comments below!