It would be foolish for Lukaku to quit Everton for this club
COMMENT By Danny Wright
Romelu Lukaku should only look to return to Chelsea if Diego Costa leaves the club.
The Belgian ace joined Everton because he couldn’t find a way into the starting 11 at Stamford Bridge so it would be stupid to think he can go back and compete with Costa, who is the team talisman as well as their most regular source of goals.
Lukaku has scored more league goals than Costa this season – 19 compared to 17 from the Spain international – but that does not mean he would immediately be installed as first choice at Stamford Bridge if there was a straight shoot-out for the spearhead role.
The senior man of the pair – Costa is 28, while Lukaku is 23 – is set to pick up his second Premier League winner’s medal in three seasons after once again proving how his style of play is ideally suited to a title-chasing team.
The Telegraph reports that Antonio Conte wants to bring the Lukaku and teammate Ross Barkley to Stamford Bridge as the pair’s contract talks with Goodison Park chiefs have ground to a halt.
Lukaku has said that he will not sign a new contract with the Merseyside club while Barkley’s deal is set to expire at the end of next season.
The Belgian striker would cost the London club over £65million while Everton will only consider bids above £30million for Barkley.
Such a mega investment in Lukaku is hardly going to be followed by an entire season on the bench but there are no guarantees at the top and the ambitious striker might be better served seeking assurances about Costa’s future before penning any Chelsea deal.
The prolific Everton striker is certainly in a position of strength after scoring 20 goals from 29 appearances in all competitions this season.
In his last five Premier League outings, the ex-Chelsea striker has scored a staggering seven goals which included a goal in his last game against former club West Bromwich Albion.
Despite his glorious goalscoring form this season, it was announced on Wednesday that Lukaku would not renew his deal on Merseyside as Everton did not want to include a release clause of under £90million in his contract.
Barkley could also find it hard to fit in at the club as Chelsea are known for not giving English players much of a chance, but hopefully that can change under Conte’s leadership.
With a Champions League spot almost certain next season, they will need to bolster their home-grown options with a number of players set to leave the club in the summer.
Everton will have a hard time replacing this duo.
In other Everton news, Lukaku delivers an incredible put-down of Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
We’ve launched a <<BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Everton breaking news.