Manchester United have told Inter Milan it will take £80 million to sign Romelu Lukaku, sources have told ESPN FC, as the striker is the top summer target for Antonio Conte, who is set to be announced as Inter's new manager imminently.

Luciano Spalletti was sacked by the Serie A side on Thursday.

Conte has asked Inter to pursue Lukaku this summer after failing to land the Belgium international in 2017 when he was in charge of Chelsea.

Inter, who will play Champions League football next season, have expressed their interest in taking the 26-year-old on loan next season with an obligation to buy in 12 months, but he is not a player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is actively looking to sell and United will demand a large fee before allowing him to leave.

Lukaku arrived at Old Trafford from Everton for an initial £75m in 2017 but that has since risen to closer to £90m after a series of add-on clauses were met.

United are under no pressure to sell because he is under contract until at least 2022. Lukaku is open to a move after failing behind Marcus Rashford in the pecking order since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December.

Lukaku has scored 42 goals in 96 games during two seasons at United but was left out by Solskjaer for key games including the Champions League quarterfinal second leg with Barcelona and the derby with Manchester City in April.

His season ended early after suffering a hamstring injury during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Apr. 28.

Real Madrid Sergio Ramos has ended speculation regarding his future after he said he wants to "retire" at the Bernabeu during an impromptu news conference on Thursday.

Club president Florentino Perez recently said Ramos had asked to leave Madrid after receiving an offer from a Chinese Super League side, but that request was turned down.

And Ramos has said he will not be leaving the club he joined in 2005 from Sevilla.

"There was an offer, but I wouldn't leave Madrid for a transfer fee or for free. I love this club and I want to retire here," Ramos said.

"I don't want to leave Real Madrid, I always said my dream was to retire here. A lot of stories have come out about me, so I wanted to clear up any doubts about my situation."

At Madrid, Ramos has won four La Liga titles, the Champions League on four occasions -- having scored in two finals -- and numerous other domestic and European honours.

They are on the cusp of winning the biggest prize in club football, but Tottenham Hotspur might also be on the brink of losing the man who made it all possible.

Mauricio Pochettino has had plenty of opportunities to ease the fears of chairman Daniel Levy and every Spurs supporter that Saturday's Champions League final against Liverpool in Madrid will be his last game as manager. But so far, he has skilfully avoided doing so. One thing for certain is that Pochettino knows what his future holds. After all, he's been laying down markers for his next chapter for longer than many would acknowledge.

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Pochettino was quick to talk up his Italian ancestry when he was preparing to take his Tottenham team to face Juventus in February 2018. The Argentine's great-great-grandfather emigrated to South America from the Piedmont region of Italy in the early 19th century, and Pochettino, who was discussing the prospect of an "amazing game" against Juve, didn't hide his excitement that he would finally "get to breathe the Turin air." He repeated his admiration of Juventus and sense of feeling at home during the prematch news conference in Turin. Perhaps he was merely being polite to his audience, but that would risk underestimating the 47-year-old's awareness of his reputation as the next big thing in coaching at the elite end of the game.

He has also spoken positively about Real Madrid and Manchester United in the past, with only Barcelona prompting a "not for me" response from him due to his time as a player with Espanyol. But by talking so effusively about his connection to Turin, Pochettino was making an investment in his future. If Juventus ever needed a new coach, well, he was almost one of their own.

"Mauricio has given everything to Tottenham and that has been obvious over the past five years," a source who knows the Spurs manager told ESPN FC. "But he's also extremely ambitious and he knows he would could walk into virtually any job in the world after what he has done at Spurs.

"No matter what happens against Liverpool in the Champions League final, he will be at the top of every club's wanted list and he knows that. He's very smart."

Juventus are now looking for a new coach following Massimiliano Allegri's departure earlier this month and Pochettino's name is up there alongside those of Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho in the list of leading candidates for the job. With a Champions League final on the horizon, Pochettino could kill the speculation instantly by insisting that he is committed to Tottenham but instead, the only message coming from the Spurs boss has been that of a man who is keeping his options open.

"Today, nothing is more important than the game we have ahead," Pochettino said on Monday, when asked whether his future was 100 percent committed to Tottenham. "To think about individual things is a little bit embarrassing and a shame. I am not important.

"It is not important what happens in the future with me. I think we have bigger things ahead to think about. I am not important more than the Champions League or the possibility to win a trophy. Rumours are rumours.

"After the final, we will have time to talk, but today, my commitment with Tottenham is 100 percent."

Having guided Spurs to their first Champions League final this season, Pochettino is in a position of strength that enables him to play the guessing game. He's consistently guided the club to a top-four finish in the Premier League since arriving from Southampton in 2014 and, although he has not yet been able to win a trophy with Spurs, his success in moulding a young team into one of Europe's best has been his real achievement.

Due to the rocketing costs of financing the club's new stadium -- it's now reportedly costing in excess of £1 billion, having initially been priced at £400m -- Spurs have been massively outspent by their domestic rivals and have not even signed a player since acquiring Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain in January 2018. Pochettino has had to turn Spurs into a force, and keep them competitive, with his hands tied in the transfer market. His ability to succeed regardless is what has caught the eye of Europe's top clubs such as Juventus, United and Real.

Pochettino was on a three-man shortlist, alongside Mourinho and Ryan Giggs, when United searched for a replacement for Louis van Gaal three years ago -- the Spurs boss was photographed having lunch with Sir Alex Ferguson in London just a week before Van Gaal was dismissed -- and he'd been the only candidate to succeed Mourinho when he was sacked last December.

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But the freakishly good start by caretaker-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prompted United to hand the Norwegian a permanent three-year contract rather than stick to Plan A of recruiting Pochettino. It remains to be seen whether or not that decision will return to haunt the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Yet even though he is contracted to Spurs until the end of the 2022-23 season, the Champions League final is beginning to look like a crossroads moment for Pochettino. His recent comments have more than hinted at a sense of disillusionment with the financial restrictions that come with managing Tottenham and, win or lose this weekend, it's difficult to escape the sense that this is as good as it can get for Spurs at a time when paying for the stadium will impinge on his determination to improve the squad.

Is now the time to stick or twist? Pochettino appears to be torn by that dilemma. His detractors would suggest that he has yet to win a trophy and that his teams always seem to fall short when the pressure is on or a prize is within reach. But one former player told ESPN FC that Pochettino -- who was ranked No. 7 among the world's managers in last year's ESPN FC 100 -- cannot be judged on trophies alone.

"He makes players better, it's as simple as that," the ex-player said. "Top players want coaches to improve them and he has done that with virtually every player he has worked with at Spurs, and prior to that, at Southampton.

"He is similar to Jurgen Klopp in that. And also like Klopp, he is a positive character and players love to play for managers who don't spend all their moaning and complaining."

But for all of Pochettino's qualities, a trophy would not go amiss on his CV and there is no bigger prize in club football than the European Cup. He is just 90 minutes away from lifting it with Tottenham. If that happens, he knows he can choose what happens next and whether his future is in North London and Turin, Manchester or Madrid.

Pochettino already knows he is on to a good thing, no matter what happens. His reputation has been forged by what he has done to this point -- the question now is who he is with when he takes his place in the next level.

Glamorgan 186 (Selman 76) and 466 (Labuschagne 182, Selman 99, Wells 5-63) drew with Sussex 420 (Brown 131, Salt 103) and 47 for 1

Marnus Labuschagne made a career-best 182 to help Glamorgan maintain their unbeaten record in the Specsavers County Championship as they drew with Sussex at Hove.

The Australian reeled off his third Championship century since joining the county at the start of the season as he posted a new county record of 291 for the second wicket with Nick Selman, who was out for 99.

After their departures, wickets fell regularly with leg-spinner Luke Wells finishing with a career-best 5 for 63 as Glamorgan were eventually bowled out for 466 just after tea. That left Sussex 27 overs to score 233 at 8.03 runs an over.

Sussex had nothing to lose but Phil Salt, the one batsman who could have given them hope of chasing their unlikely target, was caught off the splice when Marchant de Lange dropped short. Wells and Harry Finch took their score to 47 for 1 when the players shook hands on a draw with 14 overs remaining.

Glamorgan had begun the final day on 218 for 1 and Labuschagne and Selman quickly passed Glamorgan's previous second-wicket record of 252, set by Matt Maynard and David Hemp against Northamptonshire in Cardiff in 2002.

Labuschagne batted for just under five hours until he got a thin under-edge to wicketkeeper Ben Brown to give Wells his first wicket. He hit 31 fours and faced 244 balls.

Selman had played the sheet anchor role to perfection but, within touching distance of his hundred, he was leg before to a full-length delivery just after David Wiese had taken the new ball. Selman, who had carried his bat in Glamorgan's first innings, batted for 343 minutes, faced 252 balls and hit ten fours.

Sussex claimed two more wickets before lunch. Billy Root edged Mir Hamza to slip and Wiese got some extra bounce and Kieran Carlson was caught behind.

But any hopes they had of ending Glamorgan's innings quickly disappeared in a flurry of attacking shots from Dan Douthwaite, who struck ten fours in making 63 off 55 balls, the first 50 coming off just 34 deliveries. He lost David Lloyd when Wells returned to the attack and turned one past his bat but Douthwaite had lodged his Championship best when he edged Wells to Brown.

The lead was 182 at that stage but Glamorgan's last three wickets added a further 50 runs with Tom Cullen finishing unbeaten on 28. Graham Wagg was taken at short fine-leg off a top-edged sweep at Danny Briggs before Wells completed his five-for after tea with de Lange and Timm van der Gugten both lbw playing back.

Sussex took 13 points from the match and Glamorgan eight.

Sachin Tendulkar wants Rashid Khan, one of the players he is "really looking forward to watching" at the World Cup, to look for wickets at all times and bowl as he would in Test cricket.

"I think he's going to be instrumental in creating those upsets in this tournament," Tendulkar, making his commentary debut on Star Sports, said on the first day of the tournament, at the innings break in the match between England and South Africa. "If I have to tell him something, I would say, 'Look, treat this like a Test match. Because even in the T20 format, you've been able to pick wickets because the batters have not read what you've done with your wrist. And you do that, back yourself, have an attacking field, and challenge batters to hit over mid-on and mid-off.'

"Of course deep midwicket has to be there in today's format. But I would say challenge the batters and you won't disappoint the Afghanistan fans."

Among other players Tendulkar was eager to see - apart from those in the Indian team - he picked one each from two of the other tournament favourites - Australia and England.

"It has to be David Warner, because I saw him in the IPL and he made a huge statement there," Tendulkar said when asked about the batsman he was most excited about watching. "He looked hungry, determined, focussed and fitter. Warner was anyway fit, but he looked unbelievably fit (in the IPL). In extreme conditions, he pushed himself and ran hard. He looks determined so I think he's the batter to watch out for.

"I am looking forward to Jofra Archer bowling for England because I know, in crunch moments, England are always going to look at Jofra Archer to bowl those tight overs. Or if you need a breakthrough, you need Jofra Archer to come and give that breakthrough."

"Look, treat this like a Test match. Because even in the T20 format, you've been able to pick wickets because the batters have not read what you've done with your wrist." What Tendulkar would tell Rashid Khan

Tendulkar knows a thing or two of playing at the highest level, and has been one of the star performers at the World Cup in his six appearances. He was the top run-scorer in the 1996 and 2003 editions, and was part of the side that made the semi-finals in 1996, the final in 2003, and became champions in 2011.

For the 2019 semi-finals, his thoughts were largely in line with the popular sentiment - India, England, Australia, and... "I'm slightly confused between New Zealand and South Africa, but just possibly New Zealand is ahead of South Africa".

India had a lukewarm start to their World Cup programme, losing their first warm-up game to New Zealand by six wickets, but then rode on centuries from KL Rahul and MS Dhoni to beat Bangladesh by 95 runs.

"I thought the game against New Zealand was a tough one. But Virat (Kohli) won the toss and batted first in spite of knowing that the wicket was on the greener side and overcast conditions. It was always going to help the seamers. He possibly wanted to get that practice of playing out the first spell and then slowly building an innings," Tendulkar said. "The second match, I think the batting looked good. KL Rahul and Dhoni made big statements there. So all in all, I think good preparation before a tournament like this."

The game against Bangladesh, however, was on May 28, and India's first game in the main tournament is only on June 5 - by which time every other team would have played at least one match each.

"The only thing is, they have to wait and watch. See the first match, India play South Africa. They would be watching this [England v South Africa] game. They would have figured out that, 'Okay, these are the bowling changes, and this is how they are going to chase the target'. All these strategies are being planned, and then you don't want to wait for too long, you know," Tendulkar said. "You ideally would want to play against them in literally two days, and say, 'Okay we are going to execute our plans, whatever we saw two days ago'. But when there is too much gap, I just hope they don't forget!"

Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, sidelined since mid-April with a torn left quad muscle, will be active Thursday night for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, coach Steve Kerr said.

Kerr also said it was a "longshot" that All-Star Kevin Durant, rehabbing from a strained calf, would be cleared for practice before Sunday's Game 2.

Cousins was on the court at shootaround Thursday morning, getting up shots in preparation for what would be his NBA Finals debut.

"DeMarcus has done an amazing job," Kerr said Wednesday. "Coming back from the injury which we felt at the time was season ending. He's done an incredible job of rebounding, rehabbing. Now, here he is. He's scrimmaged a couple times this week. He's pain free."

When Cousins tore the quad on April 15 in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors had anticipated that he would be done for the season.

"I feel good," Cousins said Wednesday. "My quad is coming along. It's healed for the most part. Still whipping things into the shape. Building the muscle endurance needed to play at a high level. Everything is coming along well."

Will the Golden State Warriors coast to their third straight championship and fourth in five years? Will Kawhi Leonard take over and lift the Toronto Raptors to the franchise's first title? And which star will take home Finals MVP honors?

Heading into Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ABC), our NBA experts are making their picks for the series.

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NBA Finals

The case for...

Warriors in 5
Golden State has proved since its championship run started in 2015 that winning on the road and dealing with adversity is part of its DNA. That mental makeup is why the Warriors will steal a game in Toronto, take care of business at Oracle and finish off this series north of the border. -- Bobby Marks

Warriors in 6
A six-game series is the most likely for the lower seed to win. I think statistical models that either consider this matchup a toss-up or give the Raptors the edge are underrating how well the Warriors have played without Kevin Durant. And if this series is close and goes long, well, that increases the chances of Durant returning to help push Golden State over the top. -- Kevin Pelton

Warriors in 7
This is an extremely tough call, especially with Durant's status up in the air. Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and the Raptors are a real threat, but the Warriors are still outstanding without Durant, have much more Finals experience and are very well rested for the first time in a while. The return of Durant could put a challenging defensive wrinkle in the middle of the series for Toronto. Stephen Curry has always played great against his dad's old team, too. Leonard's and Durant's health will factor in the outcome. -- Marc Spears

Raptors in 7
The Warriors have obvious championship pedigree, and they easily could win this series and get their three-peat. But the uncertainty about Kevin Durant's return -- coupled with the Raptors having home-court advantage, arguably the best player in the series in Kawhi Leonard and the best defensive unit that Golden State has seen during its dynastic run -- is enough to tip the scales in Toronto's direction to say the Raptors will win their first championship. -- Tim Bontemps

The Raptors are built to give the Warriors difficulties. They have an outstanding defensive front line that features three Defensive Player of the Year award winners plus a second-place finish spread among three players, none of whom were the best defender on the team this season -- that honor went to Pascal Siakam. The Raptors are top-10 in the NBA in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage, and are also top 10 in fewest 3-pointers and lowest 3-point percentage allowed. They have the positional diversity to play every style from traditional big to small ball, with plus players at every position. -- Andre Snellings

Kawhi Leonard or Stephen Curry? Where should sidelined stars Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins check in? Who's the second-best Raptor?

We're breaking down the top 30 players battling it out for the Larry O'Brien trophy in the 2019 NBA Finals, which pits the Golden State Warriors against the Toronto Raptors (Game 1, ABC, 9 ET).

Our panel (ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Kevin Pelton and Ramona Shelburne, The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears and FiveThirtyEight's Chris Herring) ranked the top 30 players in the 2019 NBA Finals, taking stock of each player's full postseason resume as well as their projected Finals value. Player breakdowns by Tim MacMahon.

More: Forecast | Experts' picks | 5-on-5 | Schedule, odds and more

1. Kawhi Leonard | SF | Raptors

Leonard, indisputably the most dominant two-way force so far in these playoffs, has joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Elgin Baylor, Hakeem Olajuwon and Bernard King as the only players in NBA history to record seven 35-point performances in a single postseason before the Finals. The 2014 Finals MVP has a chance to crack an even more exclusive club, as James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players to win Finals MVP with two franchises.

2. Stephen Curry | PG | Warriors

Curry has averaged 35.8 points with a true shooting percentage of 66.3 as the Warriors reeled off five wins in a row without Kevin Durant. He has put up at least 35 points in four straight games, tying Rick Barry for the longest such postseason streak in franchise history. If that run continues, bet on the Warriors winning Game 1 -- Golden State is 17-1 when Curry scores at least 35 in playoff games. Although he's the favorite to win his first Finals MVP award, he's the runner-up on this list.

3. Kevin Durant | SF | Warriors

The biggest question entering this series: When will Durant, already ruled out for Game 1, be ready to return from the calf strain that has sidelined him since the third quarter of Game 5 in the conference semifinals? Durant, the two-time reigning Finals MVP, was rolling before his injury, averaging 34.2 points on 50/40/90 efficiency in these playoffs. His missed games drop him here to No. 3, but if he returns in the Finals to something close to his pre-injury self, this ranking is far too low.

4. Draymond Green | PF | Warriors

After slimming down significantly, Green has been stuffing box scores, racking up four triple-doubles during the Warriors' run through the Western Conference bracket and missing another by a bucket. The only players with more triple-doubles in a postseason: Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. In Green's career, Golden State is 29-1 when he gets a triple-double.

5. Klay Thompson | SG | Warriors

His defensive work might be as valuable to the Warriors as his shooting, and Thompson is one of the best shooters of all time, especially in the playoffs. He ranks fourth in NBA playoff history, with 350 made 3-pointers, shooting the best percentage (.407) of anyone who has hit at least half that many.

6. Kyle Lowry | PG | Raptors

Lowry's reputation as a poor playoff performer, based in large part on his tendency to struggle in series openers, isn't entirely unfair. His career playoff stats (15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists per game) are very similar to his regular-season numbers. Leonard is the only Raptor with a better plus-minus than Lowry (plus-128) this postseason.

7. Pascal Siakam | PF | Raptors

Siakam, the clear favorite for Most Improved Player, has bumped his scoring average from 16.9 points per game in the regular season to 18.7 during the playoffs. But his 3-point percentage has slipped from 36.9 to 28.9. He's only 8-of-35 in the playoffs from the left corner, Siakam's favorite spot-up location, where he shot 43.8 percent during the regular season.

8. Andre Iguodala | SG | Warriors

Iguodala, 35, was having a sensational playoff run before soreness in his lower leg sidelined him for Game 4 of the West finals. He has been especially springy, throwing down 29 dunks in 15 games, and has been a dominant on-ball defender, often against the opponent's go-to guy.

9. Marc Gasol | C | Raptors

The former Memphis Grizzlies big man has served as the anchor of the Raptors' stingy defense, as opponents have shot only 41.5 percent from the floor on shots challenged by Gasol during these playoffs. Toronto needs his shotmaking, too. The Raptors are 1-3 in the playoffs when Gasol doesn't make a 3-pointer and 7-2 when he makes at least two.

10. Fred VanVleet | PG | Raptors

Will VanVleet's hot hand survive the layoff before the Finals? He was a sizzling 14-of-17 from 3-point range in the final three games of the Eastern Conference finals. That was a stunning turnaround from his 5-of-35 slump in the previous 14 games.

11. Serge Ibaka | C | Raptors

Ibaka has seen his role reduced since the Raptors traded for Gasol. He's averaging only 21.3 minutes per game in the playoffs and has struggled to find an offensive rhythm, shooting only 44.8 percent from the floor (7-of-32 from 3-point range).

12. Kevon Looney | C | Warriors

Steve Kerr called Looney "a foundational piece" for the Warriors after the West finals. The 23-year-old big man has Golden State's best net rating (plus-14.0 points per 100 possessions) in these playoffs.

13. Danny Green | SG | Raptors

Green didn't score in the last two games of the East finals and went 1-of-15 from 3-point range in the last four games. His track record suggests that the Raptors shouldn't be worried. He's a career 39.9 percent playoff 3-point shooter, going 36-of-69 from long distance in his previous two Finals appearances.

14. Norman Powell | SF | Raptors

After falling to the fringe of the rotation in the second round, Powell played a key role in the East finals, when he averaged 12.3 points in 22.8 minutes per game.

15. DeMarcus Cousins | C | Warriors

Cousins might be the biggest wild card in the series considering he hasn't played since tearing his left quad on April 15. The former All-Star is cleared medically and listed as questionable for Game 1, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has concerns about Cousins' conditioning and rhythm after a long layoff.

16. Shaun Livingston | PG | Warriors

Livingston, who had a terrific career despite a devastating knee injury when he was young, is expected to consider retirement this summer. He's still a valuable role player, a steady presence off the Warriors' bench.

17. Alfonzo McKinnie | SF | Warriors

After spending last season on a two-way deal with Toronto, McKinnie made the Warriors as the 15th man out of training camp. His primary contributions come on the defensive end.

18. Jordan Bell | PF | Warriors

The springy, second-year forward/center barely played in the first two rounds but averaged 11 minutes per game in the West finals. He's an athletic alternative for the Warriors' second unit.

19. Andrew Bogut | C | Warriors

Bogut was plus-24 as the Warriors' starting center in their win in Game 3 of the first round. Since then, Golden State has been outscored by 37 points with the Australian big man on the floor.

20. Quinn Cook | PG | Warriors

Cook played 210 seconds in last season's Finals but has been in the rotation since Durant went down, averaging 4.4 points in 12.5 minutes over the past four games.

21. Jonas Jerebko | SF | Warriors

The 6-foot-10 Jerebko gives the Warriors an option for a stretch-4 in a big lineup, but he's only 8-of-28 from the floor and 2-of-11 on 3s in sporadic minutes this postseason.

22. OG Anunoby | SF | Raptors

An emergency appendectomy has sidelined Anunoby, a key reserve during the regular season, for the entire playoffs. Anunoby is officially listed as questionable for Game 1, as the Raptors hope he can contribute at some point during the Finals.

23. Jodie Meeks | SG | Raptors

In theory, Meeks gives the Raptors a shooting threat at the end of the bench. He's 2-of-13 from 3-point range this postseason, almost all in mop-up duty.

24. Jeremy Lin | PG | Raptors

Lin has played 26 total minutes this postseason. He shot only 37.4 percent from the floor after being traded to Toronto midseason.

25. Damian Jones | C | Warriors

In his only meaningful playing time this postseason, Jones picked up three fouls in the first 3 minutes, 17 seconds of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

26. Patrick McCaw | SG | Raptors
27. Jacob Evans | SG | Warriors
28. Eric Moreland | PF | Raptors
29. Malcolm Miller | SF | Raptors
30. Chris Boucher | PF | Raptors