Man Utd reportedly face an imminent deadline to sort out Antonio Valencia’s contract renewal, while Romelu Lukaku’s price-tag has been touted.
The Red Devils have been in fine form since interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge in December, and qualifying for the Champions League next season will undoubtedly be their primary focus.
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Further, they remain in the hunt for the FA Cup and Champions League this season too, and so the next three months could be crucial for the club heading into the summer transfer window.
However, a decision on Valencia will reportedly need to be made before then, as the Manchester Evening News report that a deadline to exercise an option to extend his deal for another year is in March.
In turn, United must decide whether or not they want to keep their stalwart, with the report going on to suggest that the Ecuadorian international could be set for an exit.
Given the fact that he’s been limited to just eight games this season, appearing just once in the Premier League since September due to injuries and falling down the pecking order, an exit would seem to make sense with the likes of Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot ahead of him.
Further, he’ll turn 34 later this year, and so Man Utd will surely be looking at long-term replacements sooner rather than later.
That might not be the only exit this summer either, as Calciomercato report, via the paper edition of Tuttosport, that Juventus and Inter transfer target Lukaku could be available for around €50m this summer.
The Belgian international produced a reminder of what he’s capable of against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, bagging a brace in the 3-1 win. However, he’s managed just 11 goals in 35 outings so far this season.
In addition, should Solskjaer get the job on a permanent basis, the Norwegian tactician could look to stick with his preferred pacy, vibrant attacking trident of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard.
That in turn could be further cause for Lukaku to consider an exit, although it’s arguably still very unlikely that he will leave as he offers crucial depth and a different dynamic in the final third with his physicality and goalscoring ability.
