Inter Keen to Secure Romelu Lukaku Future With Fresh Contract

Exclusive – Inter will open talks with star forward Romelu Lukaku over a new contract in order to secure his future at San Siro amid interest from rival clubs, including Juventus.

Lukaku has resurrected his career in Milan after his spell at Manchester United turned sour and scored more than 30 goals in a season for the first time in 2019/20. His final tally stood at 34, with the last one coming in Inter’s first appearance in a European final for 10 years.

Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku has resurrected his career at San Siro | Soccrates Images/Getty Images

So far this season, the Belgian international has scored 11 times in 12 games in all competitions, meaning he has already surpassed his goal tally at United in over 30 games fewer.

90min has learned that Inter are keen to make sure Lukaku can’t be lured away and want to begin talks about tying him down to a fresh deal, even though his current contract still has another three and a half years left to run until the summer of 2024.

Serie A rivals Juventus are among the clubs believed to be showing interest in Lukaku, while there is also some interest from back in the Premier League, where he spent eight years until 2019.

Reassuringly for Inter, Lukaku is happy with the Nerazzurri and is not looking to move on.

Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku is happy at Inter after joining from Man Utd | Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images

A source said of the situation, “Romelu loves it at Inter, he knew he would do well in Serie A and he is no hurry to leave, despite knowing his form would attract interest.”

One of the major aspects of his success in Milan has been a strong on-field relationship with Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine has been a target for Barcelona over the past year and Inter have been in talks over a new contract him, although he looks increasingly likely to depart in 2021.

That only strengthens the club’s resolve to keep Lukaku for the long-term.

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Sevilla 0-1 Real Madrid: Player Ratings as Goalkeeping Howler Hands Los Blancos Vital Win

Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday afternoon, easing the pressure on Merengues coach Zinedine Zidane.

The two teams could not be separated during a cagey first half, but los Blancos finally managed to break the deadlock on 56 minutes with a huge slice of fortune.

Ferland Mendy’s whipped cross from the left flank took the faintest of touches off Vinicius Junior’s outstretched boot, but it proved enough to deceive goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who somehow allowed the ball to slip through his hands and trickle over the line.

Sevilla pushed to drag themselves level, but Madrid stood firm to claim a valuable three points in the title race, and reduce the pressure mounting on coach Zidane.

Let’s take a look at Madrid’s player ratings from Saturday afternoon.

Munir, Lucas Vazquez
Not a bad defender, actually | Fran Santiago/Getty Images

Thibaut Courtois (GK) – 7/10 – Wasn’t called into any drastic action due to his rearguard’s solid display, but dealt with any tasks commandingly.

Lucas Vazquez (RB) – 8/10 – Not a natural defender, but credit to him, he looked the part on Saturday. Never shied away from his duties, and stemmed a constant flow from that flank.

Raphael Varane (CB) – 8/10 – Led the backline with confidence after the midweek horror show against Shakhtar Donetsk. Headed away a barrage of crosses, and defended with authority. Just what the doctor ordered.

Nacho Fernandez (CB) – 8/10 – Can’t believe Nacho is still a Madrid defender. Proved his worth this time round though, acting as a capable partner for Varane.

Ferland Mendy (LB) – 8/10 – Got the assist for the goal with a dangerous cross into that dreaded corridor of uncertainty. Defended well after a few poor displays in recent weeks.

Joan Jordan, Casemiro
Casemiro, the brick wall in midfield | Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Luka Modric (CM) – 7/10 – Looked to keep the game moving and tried to control the midfield battle on a tough afternoon in Seville. A quality player.

Casemiro (CM) – 8/10 – Without doubt, the most important player in this midfield. Looked to nullify Sevilla when they broke forward, and pulled off countless interceptions and blocks when the moment arrived. A top destroyer.

Toni Kroos (CM) – 7/10 – Got booked midway through the first half and had to walk a tightrope from then on. Luckily, he was immaculate in possession and in the tackle. Not quite able to influence games as much, but still important.

Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr
The goalscorer (kind of) | Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Rodrygo (RW) – 6/10 – Full of tricks and loved taking on his marker at every given opportunity. Less involved as play flowed down the other flank, and was the first substituted for los Blancos.

Karim Benzema (ST) – 7/10 – Super pre-assist to free Mendy down the left-hand side with his back to play. That’s the kind of irreplaceable class he offers to Madrid.

Vinicius Junior (LW) – 7/10 – Broke the deadlock with a brave snaking boot to tap home a teasing cross from the left. Made the difference.

Marco Asensio (RW) – 6/10

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Reveals Why Bruno Fernandes Was Benched for West Ham Trip

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed before kick off that his decision to drop Bruno Fernandes to the bench against West Ham was down to a slight injury niggle.

The 26-year-old played the full 90 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday’s Champions League fixture, and the 3-1 defeat means Man Utd can’t afford to slip up against RB Leipzig next week or they’ll face an unwanted elimination at the group stage.

The games have been coming thick and fast of late, and Solskjaer clearly had one eye on Tuesday as he named his starting lineup for the game at the London Stadium.

Fernandes was dropped to the bench alongside Marcus Rashford, while the Norwegian also touched on why David de Gea had been left out of the squad entirely.

“Marcus (Rashford) and Bruno are two important players for us, and they’ve been kicked between here and there lately, especially Bruno’s foot has been sore since the Southampton game,” he told the club’s media before kick-off.

“The decision was easy to keep him out, hopefully I don’t have to use him tonight. “The injury (for De Gea) against Southampton is something that we don’t want to take a risk with, so obviously he played against PSG and hopefully we can have him ready for the Leipzig game as well.”

Bruno Fernandes
Solskjaer hopes he won’t have to use Fernandes against West Ham | Robin Jones/Getty Images

Solskjaer was able to name Paul Pogba in his starting lineup for the first time since United’s 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal, while Donny van de Beek was rewarded for his recent impressive cameos with a place in midfield alongside Scott McTominay.

“We have a strong team, it’s selection headaches every time,” Solskjaer added. “So of course, they get a chance to prove their worth and show what they can do. They’ve had a stop-start season as well but they’re ready and I’m confident they’ll perform tonight.

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Frankfurt 1-1 Borussia Dortmund: Player Ratings as Haaland Absence Thwarts BVB

Borussia Dortmund dropped Bundesliga points for the fourth time this season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt.

BVB went into the game without talismanic forward Erling Haaland, who suffered a hamstring injury against Lazio in midweek, and in his absence, Julian Brandt stepped in to lead the line. Despite adapting the role to suit his own game, he couldn’t provide the same impact as the Norwegian marksman and was largely disappointing.

As for the game itself, the hosts went in front inside 10 minutes as Daichi Kamada slotted past Roman Burki after some lackadaisical defending from Emre Can. Dortmund struggled to really get a foothold in the game as Frankfurt overloaded midfield to dominate the pairing of Axel Witsel and Mahmoud Dahoud, prompting Lucien Favre to make changes at half-time.

Dortmund were much improved in the second half and levelled things up through 18-year-old Giovanni Reyna. Favre introduced Youssoufa Moukoko late on, but he couldn’t prevent the club from stumbling to their first draw in 28 Bundesliga games.

Enough of all that, let’s get into the Dortmund ratings.

Mats Hummels
Mats Hummels looked as composed as ever on the ball for Dortmund | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Roman Burki (GK) – 6/10 – Was relatively untroubled throughout the game, and couldn’t do much about the goal Dortmund conceded.

Emre Can (CB) – 7/10 – It was Can that played Daichi Kamada onside for Frankfurt’s goal, but after that the German played out from the back confidently, and stepped into midfield after the break to support Axel Witsel well.

Mats Hummels (CB) – 7/10 – Another assured performance from Hummels. Sprayed the ball out of defence well and made a couple of world class tackles.

Dan- Axel Zagadou (CB) – 6/10 – On his first league start of the season, the 21-year old had a rather uninspiring game. He didn’t shine brightly, but didn’t make any mistakes either – so that’s good, right?

Axel Witsel
Axel Witsel managed the game in the second half | DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Mateu Morey (RWB) – 5/10 – Had an awful first half, giving Filip Kostic far too much space and conceding possession too many times. After the interval he got a grip and nullified the threat down Frankfurt’s left.

Mahmoud Dahoud (CM) – 4/10 – Had a lot of ground to cover as Dortmund started with two midfielders, and looked completely over run until he came off at half time.

Axel Witsel (CM) – 7/10 – Had a difficult first half, but came out in the second and commanded the middle of the park as Favre altered the team’s shape.

Nico Schulz (LWB) – 6/10 – The German was rather unnoticeable on the whole, but did make a crucial goal-saving challenge after five minutes.

Jadon Sancho (RW) – 6/10 – Looked bright as always, but Sancho uncharacteristically lacked an end product and squandered possession regularly.

Julian Brandt (CF) – 3/10 – Failed to make an impact at all. Crowded out, uncomfortable in his role and desperate to get back out wide you’d imagine.

Giovanni Reyna (LW) – 8/10 – The American was Dortmund’s bright spark throughout the match. Looked creative and threatening every time he came forward with the ball, equalising with a spectacular finish in the second half.

Youssoufa Moukoko (ST)- 6/10 – Great things are expected from the 16-year-old, and he did make Dortmund’s attack look brighter with a few dangerous runs.

Jude Bellingham (CAM)- 7/10 – Helped swing the momentum in Dortmund’s favour after replacing Brandt. Created space well, and was keen to press Frankfurt back with a number of forward runs.

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Massimiliano Allegri Reveals Key to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Continued Success

Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has said that Cristiano Ronaldo stands out from everybody else he has worked with because of his mentality and drive to succeed.

Ronaldo recently scored his 750th career goal, while he played in his 1,000th senior game earlier this year. But even at 35 and nearing the end of his playing days, Ronaldo remains as good as ever and has already averaged more than a goal per game for Juventus this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the best in the world at 35 | Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

Allegri was in charge at Juve when Ronaldo arrived from Real Madrid in 2018. The former boss has worked with plenty of elite stars and serial winners during his coaching career at the highest level, but he has chosen Ronaldo as a cut above the rest.

Part of that is Ronaldo never being satisfied with what he has achieved and always wanting to do more, even if he is already legitimately one of the greatest players of all time.

“I had a lot of strong players, with strong mentality. Defenders like [Giorgio] Chiellini and [Alessandro] Nesta, midfielders like [Gennaro] Gattuso and [Clarence] Seedorf and strikers like [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [Cristiano] Ronaldo,” Allegri told The Times.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Massimiliano Allegri
Massimiliano Allegri is full of praise for Ronaldo’s mentality | Claudio Villa./Getty Images

“Ronaldo is the top player for mentality. Ronaldo has a different head to everyone. He’s won five Ballons d’Or, five Champions Leagues and one European Championship for Portugal, and that is so difficult, and it’s always him being the difference. Every year he has a new objective.”

Ronaldo will turn 36 in February. But while most players of his age would be thinking about winding down their career, or may even be retired already, it has often been suggested the former Manchester United star could play until the age of 40 and possibly beyond.

In 2019, Ronaldo remarked that he will play on until his body can no longer handle the elite level.

Croatia v Portugal - UEFA Nations League
Ronaldo has scored 750 career goals for club & country | Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images

“Several years ago, the age of playing football was until 30-32, but now, you find those who are 40 years old playing on the field. The moment my body is no longer responding in the right way on the field, then it would be the time to leave,” he said at a conference in Dubai.

“My success in my field is the result of hard work, and a way of living. I work continuously to improve my mental and physical abilities. I aspire to continue my studies after retiring from football.”

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