With Romelu Lukaku reportedly off to Old Trafford, will Chelsea now move for the Real Madrid striker?
Social media has been filled with the news of Jose Mourinho and Manchester United closing in on the £75m signing of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian had been linked with a move to former club Chelsea all summer whilst Utd were expected to complete their own big-money signing in the shape of one-time Chelsea target Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid. In fact the Spaniard was as short as 1/10 on the morning the Lukaku news broke, with a fee of around £60m said to be agreed between the two sides.
However, Thursday morning’s breaking news has meant the respective betting markets for each player’s next club have flip-flopped in the space of just a few minutes. Having been odds-on to join Chelsea, Lukaku’s odds drifted to as big as 5/2 with a number of bookies while simultaneously, the money came piling in for him to be reunited with former manager Mourinho at Old Trafford, his odds tumbling from 3/1 into 1/4 before markets were eventually suspended.
With the news Utd had ended their interest in Morata, speculation began to build over whether Chelsea and Antonio Conte would reignite their interest in the former Juventus frontman. Conte worked with the 24-year-old during their time at the Italian giants and he has held a long term interest in re-signing him for his current employers. However, with Lukaku rumoured to be the preferred option, Morata was as big as 12/1 to make the move to Stamford Bridge. That soon changed as news of Lukaku’s move to Old Trafford started to circulate with bookies reacted instantly, slashing those odds into as short as 2/1.
Settle a debate we are having at Oddschecker HQ...
— Oddschecker (@Oddschecker) July 6, 2017
Which striker would you rather your club sign?
