Manchester United have agreed a £75m fee with Everton to sign Romelu Lukaku, according to Sky sources.
Senior Everton sources have told Sky Sports News HQ that no deal has yet been agreed for the 24-year-old but it is understood United remain confident one is close and will be finalised.
Lukaku's future at Goodison Park has been in doubt since he rejected a lucrative new contract offer back in March and said during duty with the Belgium national team that he knew where his future would be.
Lukaku has also been a target for Chelsea this summer but United boss Jose Mourinho has also been keen to add a new high-profile striker to his squad after losing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to injury.
United had been in talks with Real Madrid over a possible deal for Alvaro Morata and saw a number of offers rejected.
But Sky Sports News HQ understands their interest in bringing Morata to Old Trafford has now come to an end.
Lukaku, who scored 25 Premier League goals last season, is expected to have a medical later this week with the hope that he can join United for their tour of the United States.
The team return to training on Saturday before flying off to Los Angeles on Sunday.
Sky sources also understand the Lukaku deal is not linked to one that could see Wayne Rooney head in the opposite direction, moving back to Goodison Park and re-joining a club he left back in 2004 as a teenager.
Negotiations are continuing between the clubs and Rooney's representatives over his potential return to Merseyside.
Manchester United have agreed a fee of around £75m with Everton for striker Romelu Lukaku, senior club sources have told the BBC.
The 24-year-old Belgium international scored 25 Premier League goals last season.
United, who have been chasing Lukaku for most of the summer, will not now be pursuing their interest in Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata.
Everton sources say no deal or agreement has been reached.
The move for Lukaku is not connected to talks aimed at taking United forward Wayne Rooney to Everton.
Jose Mourinho's side are hopeful of concluding a deal in time for Lukaku to join the squad before they depart for a pre-season tour to the United States on Sunday.
The striker was on a list of forward options Mourinho gave to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward before the end of last season.
It had been thought Lukaku would return to his former club Chelsea, who he joined from Anderlecht in 2011.
The striker was sold to Everton for £28m by Mourinho during the Portuguese manager's second spell in charge of Chelsea in 2014.
Lukaku is a client of agent Mino Raiola, who also looks after Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan - three players all signed by United last summer.
The Belgian turned down the most lucrative contract offer in Everton's history in March and later said: "I don't want to stay at the same level. I want to improve and I know where I want to do that."
Lukaku, a 24-year-old Belgian who has 118 career goals to his name, was linked with a move to Chelsea since the end of last season, before United reportedly stormed in with a £75 million bid.
News of the deal was reported earlier today, with a host of major media outlets suggesting a fee was agreed and that the transfer could be completed within days. Within minutes the deal was off again.
However, despite those claims, a source within the Old Trafford has this afternoon revealed that the entire affair is in fact all part of the most elaborate player unveiling in Premier League history.
According to the source, United are keen to maximise the announcement of such a high-profile player after witnessing the likes of Aston Villa, Swansea and Liverpool go to great lengths to do the same.
"There's no need for United fans to worry, this deal is very much on. We were going to just announce it but having seen other clubs go all out we felt we should do the same. Our social media manager suggested we make it like a movie, with ups and downs, explosions and romance, so we're doing just that," said the source. "We're the biggest club in the world, and our signings should reflect that."
He also revealed that while no exact end date has been marked for the grand reveal, the announcement will likely involve fireworks, dolphins and the moon.
"We definitely didn't get ahead of ourselves here. We are very much in control. To be honest, we might announce today, tomorrow or perhaps even next year at some point, but believe us: it is all part of our plan and will definitely be worth the wait."
The source went on to say that if Lukaku goes on to reject the club and join Chelsea, that too will be part of the plan, though not a part the club has actually discussed yet.
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