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Manchester United have acted after Inter Milan missed a tranche payment for the transfer of Romelu Lukaku.
The Serie A club bought the Belgian for a reported €80 million (£69 million) in the summer of 2019, with the money to be paid in stages.
However, after Inter missed their latest payment, United have triggered a clause placing Inter in €50 million (£43 million) in debt to them.
The Italian club is facing financial issues following the coronavirus pandemic, whilst further uncertainty has been created after their Chinese owners, the Suning Group, decided to stop funding their football activities in China.
It is alleged that United are now exerting pressure to try and prise away from Inter players like Milan Škriniar and Lautero Martínez, both of whom are admired by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The pair have higher values than the debt which has been created, but United would be willing to pay an extra fee to release Inter from their obligation.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.