Romelu Lukaku set for Inter Milan medical on Thursday morning

Reports in Italy and England state that Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is set to sign a five-year contract after undergoing Inter Milan medical on Thursday.

Juventus looked to have secured the Belgian in a swap deal, but Paulo Dybala’s unwillingness to join United in exchange put pay to that move.

The 26-year-old has been a long-time target for Beneamata boss Antonio Conte, who wanted him at Chelsea.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that Inter have finally agreed a fee in the region of €80m for Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku.

Multiple sources, including Sky Sport Italia, Gianluca Di Marzio, Fabrizio Romano, Tuttomercatoweb and Calciomercato.com, report a verbal agreement has been reached for Lukaku to join Inter.

All that is left is for the paperwork to be signed so the Belgian can complete his transfer, with Gazzetta dello Sport specifying he will pen a five-year contract worth €7.5m a season plus bonuses.

Sky writes the Nerazzurri will pay €65m plus €13m in bonuses, while United are entitled to 20 percent of a future resale.

Elsewhere, Tuttomercatoweb is going for €70m + €13m and Calciomercato has down a figure of €80m plus addons.

It comes, according to Football Italia, after a major breakthrough in talks on Wednesday, instigated by his agent Federico Pastorello flying into London with the intention of bringing an end to the saga.

REVEALED: Why David Luiz is DESPERATE to join Arsenal

Reports have emerged as to the reason Chelsea defender David Luiz is desperate to leave Stamford Bridge and re-unite with his former Paris Saint-Germain boss at Arsenal on Thursday.

Arsenal are known to be in the market for a centre back, following the departure of club captain Laurent Koscielny to Bordeaux.

Accodring to the Evening Standard, the Brazilian fears a lack of game time under new boss Frank Lampard – and that’s why he wants to join Arsenal.

The 32-year-old was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s final preseason game, the 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

With Lampard’s resolve to keep Kurt Zouma, it is becoming obvious Luiz will be a bit-part player especially when Antonio Rudiger returns.

REVEALED: Why Frank Lampard may allow David Luiz to join Arsenal as Brazilian wants to force move away from Chelsea

Fresh information has emerged as to why Frank Lampard may grant David Luiz’s wish to move to Arsenal as the Brazilian missed first-team training on Wednesday in his attempt to force through a shock move to London rivals Arsenal on Thursday.

Luiz has reportedly been an increasingly disruptive figure at the club’s Cobham HQ in recent days, culminating in Wednesday’s surprise development.

The Brazil defender, according to the Daily Mail, did report for training but was not involved in the senior set-up casting doubt over his position at the club.

The report adds that the decision for Luiz not to train with Frank Lampard’s was mutual – but there were differing views from other insiders on Wednesday night who feel his omission was part of a wider plan from the defender to force through a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Chelsea were awaiting on a formal offer from the Gunners, with the north London club hopeful of securing Luiz for as little as £5million given he is 32-years-old.

It is understood despite leaving the club a central defender light – and without the option of signing a replacement due to their transfer ban – Chelsea are willing to let Luiz leave ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

Chelsea broke their club policy of only offering players over the age of 30 one year extensions for by offering Luiz a two-year deal earlier this year.

But despite the commitment from Chelsea, the defender is determined to leave Stamford Bridge and has not hidden his feelings at the club’s training base.

Indeed, Luiz has been at the centre of a number of spats in recent days, seriously irking Lampard and his backroom team, who have been at pains to nurture a united atmosphere since their arrival earlier this summer.

Despite the prospect of losing his most experienced central defender, Lampard is believed to be open to letting Luiz leave.

The Chelsea manager, who is clearly unwilling to let anyone impact on his squad’s team spirit, is understood to have made his stance clear.

But the final decision over whether Luiz will be allowed to leave will be left to director Marina Granovskaia – but with little prospect of Lampard selecting the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star following a series of rows, the path for the South American to leave looks clear.

However, if the two clubs cannot agree a fee early on Thursday morning, Arsenal may look to walk away from the deal to focus on other options.

Luiz’s exit could impact on academy defender Fikayo Tomori’s future. Tomori was lined up for a loan move away – but Chelsea may have a change of heart to ensure Lampard has enough cover at centre-back.

Mason Mount’s father reveals how his son rejected his advice to leave Chelsea

Mason Mount’s father has revealed how his son rejected his advice to leave Chelsea and consider offers from other clubs.

Tony Mount highlights his son’s fierce determination to become a Chelsea star saw him turn down a number of tempting offers to leave the club when he was 15 years old.

Uncles, aunts and grandparents offered advice to the talented teenager after dad Tony called a family meeting at their Portsmouth home.

“I told Mason I thought he needed to move on to get the best opportunity,” Tony told The Sun.

“I said, ‘No one at Chelsea’s academy has got into the first-team since John Terry — what chance have you got?’

“Mason shot back, ‘I’ll be the next one.’ He said, ‘I’m not leaving Chelsea, it’s my club. I’ve been here since the age of six and I’m going all the way.’”

Five years on and Mason — so named by his mum as it means ‘man of stone’ — is on the verge of fulfilling that promise, having thrust himself into contention to start at Manchester United in the season opener on Sunday.

Tony, then boss of Havant Town, said: “I’m old-school and Mason has sat in dressing rooms with me kicking cups and doors while we’re 3-0 down at Kettering, and the language has been blue.”

In 2004, Tony took a five-year old Mason to a club in Farnham for his first experience of playing on grass.

“They started age six and Mason was five,” the father-of-four said. “I took him over there and they said, ‘He’s a bit small. Is he six?’ I said, ‘Yeah!’

“Within two sessions he was playing with the Under-8s and dribbling round all of them.”

Chelsea quickly spotted his talent. Mason was training with the Blues as well as the club his family raised him to support, Portsmouth.

Manchester United in talks with Romelu Lukaku’s replacement as Inter Milan make desperate move for striker

Reports in England and Italy state that Manchester United are leading the race for free agent Fernando Llorente, which could let Inter capture Romelu Lukaku.

Llorente is a free agent after his contract in North London expired and United would have until the end of August to register their striker in the squad – and not be forced to hurry it up for the 8 August transfer deadline for English top-flight clubs.

The 34-year-old netted eight goals and provided five assists in just 1,238 minutes of action last season and he was previously linked to Barcelona this summer.

Ernesto Valverde also coached the experienced striker during their spell together in Athletic Club Bilbao and he is out of contract this summer, meaning he would not cost a transfer fee.

According to Sky Sport Italia, former Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur striker Llorente is close to agreeing personal terms with Manchester United.

If the Spaniard does go to Old Trafford, it’d give Manchester United more leeway to sell Lukaku, as they’d have a replacement in-house.

Inter Milan reportedly made another offer on Tuesday for Lukaku, at €73m, and it was rejected.

If Manchester United, according to Football Italia, sign Llorente, then they could reconsider the Inter bid for the Belgian.