Everton manager Ronald Koeman insists the club will not be dictated to by players after Romelu Lukaku sensationally revealed he is not going to sign a new contract and wants to leave at the end of the season.
Lukaku’s representatives had claimed the striker was “99.9999%” certain to sign a new deal at Goodison Park but Everton’s refusal to include a release clause in the region of £90m is understood to have led to the striker’s stunning u-turn.
The Belgium international has been linked with a return to Chelsea this summer but Koeman has other ideas for Lukaku and any other player that wants out of Everton this season.
“First of all the deal was not agreed and 99.9 per cent is not 100 per cent and they are still trying to get the contract over the line,” The Daily Telegraph quote Koeman as saying. “This is what I know from the board of the club. Of course I am not happy about that interview because first if Everton is not a club with ambition I would not be the manager of Everton.
“I spoke to Rom this morning and I know it is difficult but if you are a player prepare yourself to play good and score goals. We know he is one of the best. The rest has to be done with the board and the manager.
“Every player has ambition and likes to play for titles and wants to play in the Champions League. That is a normal ambition and what we need to do is show if there is one club to outside of the big six to make the next step out it is Everton. Everyone see the difference between this season and last and it is impossible to do this in one transfer window in one season. It takes time.
“Every day Everton is trying to get the best and strongest team we can have. There is always competition. Not only money is most important but if you show players good players, the development and ambition of the team, and the club is progressing and talking of new stadium, it is enough to show club is going in the right direction.
“I spoke to Rom about this project last summer. During the season we had several talks of the future. I am not afraid because the player has two years left on his contract. You need to respect your contract. What you don’t like every day talking about his contract. It is up to Everton to get the deal done.”
Lukaku is currently the joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League (19) and is on course to become the first Everton player to reach 20 goals in a single league campaign for the first time since Gary Lineker.
Everton paid £28m to bring Lukaku to Merseyside from Chelsea in 2014 and would certainly double that retune should they decide to cash in on the powerful striker.
For more stats on Romelu Lukaku, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
