Manchester United And Everton Agree To £75 Million Transfer Fee For Romelu Lukaku

After a protracted courtship that featured rival Chelsea tabling their own unsuccessful bid, Manchester United and Everton have reportedly agreed to a £75 million transfer fee that will send Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford. As part of the transfer, beloved Man Utd. striker Wayne Rooney will go to Everton.

Chelsea’s bid for Lukaku reportedly matched Manchester United’s initial offer, but the inclusion of Rooney apparently pushed United’s offer over the top. From the Guardian:

While the former England captain and United’s record goalscorer was never formally considered to be returning to Goodison Park in part-exchange, his valuation had in effect been built into the Lukaku deal, pushing the overall value of United’s offer to the £100m Everton had always been seeking for the 24-year-old striker. The London club could not provide the same Rooney element in their own proposal and were clearly unwilling to inflate their bid to meet Everton’s overall valuation.

Lukaku’s good buddy Paul Pogba is psyched about the move: