Everton to Romelu Lukaku: You’re not going anywhere
Everton have placed a £75 million price tag on Romelu Lukaku in an attempt to keep him even though he is looking to leave to club
Everton have made a big statement to Romelu Lukaku: You’re not leaving if we have anything to say about it.
Though Lukaku is keen on a move from the club, they are not willing to let the talented striker go without receiving an insane amount of money in return. According to The Express, Everton have placed a £75 million price tag on Lukaku in an attempt to ward off interest from all over Europe. Premier League rival Chelsea seemed like the favorites to sign the striker before this news, but they have laughed at the price and pulled out of consideration.
Lukaku was very good for a poor Everton team last season, scoring 18 goals and having 6 assists in 36 appearance in the Premier League. He also managed a player rating a 7.16 giving him the 3rd highest on the team. Though he does not contribute much defensively, even as a striker, his offensive prowess more than makes up for that.
Even with that strong season, he missed a key opportunity to gain interest by underperforming for Belgium in Euro 2016 this summer. After Belgium lost to Wales 3-1 in the quarterfinals, Lukaku said he was going to have to speak with the club. If he cannot convince Everton to lower his price tag, it is probably the case that he will not be transferred as teams will be very unlikely to pay that high of a fee for the 23-year-old.
This puts Lukaku in a tough position as he has publicly said he needs to leave the club and play Champions League football to further his career. If the price can not be negotiated, he will have relationships with both his teammates and the fans to repair before the beginning of next season.
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In the long run I do not understand the move by Everton to keep Lukaku against his will. They are coming off a very disappointing season where they finished 11th in the table and fired their coach. They have a new coach coming in and are most likely selling John Stones to Manchester City. It seems they are moving into a rebuilding phase but refuse to let go of Lukaku.
It would make sense to sell Lukaku, a player you will lose when his contract runs out, and get something for him while you still can. Chelsea offered them £30 million for the striker and they could use the money to bring in new, young talent that wants to be playing at Goodison Park.
It is still yet to be determined whether Lukaku will be able to talk them into selling him for a more reasonable price, but it is looking like Everton fans might be safe with their Lukaku kits this season.