Corriere dello Sport reported today that Inter missed a deadline in the payment plan for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, triggering a clause that would force them to settle the rest of the fee, around €50M, right away. For such reason, Manchester United asked for Lautaro Martinez or Milan Skriniar in return to make up the difference.
The surprising development was disputed by Repubblica that informed that the Nerazzurri indeed did not pay a €1.9M bonus that was due at the end of last season, but the two clubs agreed to push the deadline to next July because of the pandemic. The Italian side sent the money in January and the two outfits maintain an excellent relationship. It transpired in the Alexis Sanchez deal, who was released from his contract last September, allowing him to head back to the Beneamata for free at the end of a loan spell.
Lukaku was purchased by Inter from the Red Devils in August of 2019 for €79M to be paid in multi-year installments as it is the norm for every transfer. A return, which was rumored for the same supposed financial problems, is also out of the question.
Corriere dello Sport made a similar claim in recent weeks, saying that Real Madrid were getting restless about the €40M due for the Achraf Hakimi deal, but the Merengues quickly denied the report with an official statement.
While Inter are navigating a period of uncertainty as their Chinese owners Suning has limited the spending towards football operations, the situation is unlikely to impact any current commitment or to cause issues with the UEFA license or other deadlines.