Chelsea confident of beating Manchester United to sign Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea are confident they can beat Manchester United to the transfer of Romelu Lukaku and upcoming manager Antonio Conte has made the striker his top priority for the summer transfer window. Jose Mourinho, who managed the striker during his time at Stamford Bridge, is also keen on reuniting with the forward and adding some impetus to his line of forwards at Old Trafford.

The Mirror reports that the striker is likely to be available for a fee in the range of £65m ($95m) and both clubs are willing to match Everton's valuation of the player. Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are the other three clubs keeping a close eye on the situation but Chelsea are willing to pull all stops for the player and bring him in as a replacement for Diego Costa.

Costa is currently out of favour at Chelsea on the back of an underwhelming season and growing belief that he could be a disturbing factor in building up dressing room harmony under Conte. Alexandre Pato, who is currently on loan from Corinthians, is certain to leave while Radamel Falcao's loan spell from Monaco has also run its course. Former Queens Park Rangers striker Loic Remy is the only other option at the club, thereby exacerbating the need of a focal point up front.

Meanwhile, United are also desperate to have a few forwards in place before the start of the season and have all but completed a deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic from PSG. The striker's contract expires after the end of the season and will sign for a fee at Old Trafford.

Mourinho is also keeping close tabs on Karim Benzema and will scout the striker from Madrid to bolster his frontline. In the midfield, he is looking at making a bid for Nemanja Matic, who performed admirably during his Premier League winning campaign with the Blues in 2014/15. The Portuguese manager is also keen on Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez and has reportedly sanctioned a £54m ($80m) deal for the player.