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Inter Milan target Romelu Lukaku misses second Man United friendly

Romelu Lukaku was not selected in the match-day squad for Manchester United's 4-0 win over Leeds United in Perth yesterday, fuelling speculation he is on the way out of the club.

The Belgian's main suitors are Inter Milan, who will be in Singapore for the International Champions Cup this weekend.

It is one of several prospective deals involving the four clubs who will be in town, with a potential move between Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus also making the rounds.

United's website said Lukaku missed out on the Leeds tie as he had not recovered from a knock sustained in training, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying he was not ready.

TRANSFER UPDATE

The 26-year-old recently told reporters to expect a transfer update this week.

Last week, Inter's sporting director Piero Ausilio travelled to London to discuss a deal for United's No.9, while chief executive Giuseppe Marotta later said he was "optimistic" of the move.

The Sun and AS yesterday reported that Inter are on the verge of agreeing to United's 80 million-euro (S$122m) asking price for the striker, but Sky Sports Italia said the Milan side are nowhere close to a deal.

Lukaku will be a replacement for Mauro Icardi, who has been left out of coach Antonio Conte's squad for Singapore.

Icardi's lawyer Paolo Nicoletti hit out at Inter for treating his client like an "accounting entry" rather than a footballer, according to la Repubblica.

Meanwhile, Tuttosport reported that Juventus have made their first enquiries for the Argentinian, who has been Inter's top scorer in the last five seasons, scoring 115 goals in 196 matches.

Juve are reportedly also interested in Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen, who has one year left on his contract and has signalled his interest in trying "something new".

Some media outlets suggest the Italian champions will move for the Dane if they miss out on Manchester United's Paul Pogba - who has also indicated his desire for a "new challenge" - but others suggest that Juventus might wait till Eriksen's contract expires to snag him on a free transfer.

What is clear is that Juve's new coach Maurizio Sarri is a fan, having said he likes Eriksen "very much" while manager of Chelsea last season.

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