Manchester United have identified Lyon’s Moussa Dembele and Lille attacker Nicolas Pepe as possible replacements for Romelu Lukaku.
According to the Evening Standard, the Belgian centre-forward is pushing for a summer move away from Old Trafford, with Inter Milan thought to be in pole position to secure his services.
Lukaku has managed to score 42 goals in 96 matches across all competitions for the Red Devils since his 2017 switch from Everton but has also faced a significant amount of criticism for his perceived lack of fitness and quality on the ball.
ES reports that United want to receive at least £80 million for the 26-year-old and Solskjaer has already set his sights on Ligue 1 duo Dembele and Pepe as United line up an outgoing star’s replacement.
The former enjoyed a superb 2018-19 campaign for Lyon, contributing 15 goals and four assists in 33 league matches and according to Transfermarkt, he is currently valued at around £24 million.
Pepe, meanwhile, is worth significantly more, having attracted the attention of top clubs across Europe with his displays in France over the past year, with Lille unlikely to let him go for less than his £59 million market price – as per Transfermarkt.
With a combined value of £83 million, both men could conceivably be brought in by Solskjaer if Lukaku is sold, but it seems more likely that United will pick the attacker they believe to be the best fit for the club.
Dembele is more of an outright striker, which means he could fill Lukaku’s boots with little fuss, whereas Pepe tends to operate as a wide man rather than through the middle of the pitch.
That being said, the Ivory Coast international scored 22 goals in 38 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille last term and he has the ability to adapt to a new role if required to do so.
With Lukaku set to leave Manchester in the coming weeks, the Red Devils could soon be welcoming a new goalscorer, but it remains to be seen whether or not Pepe or Dembele will be open to cutting ties with their current employers.
