Moshiri downplays furore over Lukaku's contract

While we are at it, let's slap a stumbling block in Gueye's contract!!

In all seriousness with values ever going up and Rom headed for the golden boot I think anything less than £90m would be disadvantageous to us. If we were a more glamourous team then I think £100m would be the figure people would be talking about as they do with Harry Kane.

Remember this, Mino Raiola, this club gave your client a proper job, not loans etc. We gave him the base he needed to develop. What we would appreciate from you is the respect that we deserve as a club.

I for one would want Rom to stay but, if the honour and thrill of pulling on the blue jersey isn't enough, then I would prefer him to go and not have this fine club made to look a club that panders to the agents.

I realise his obvious importance to the club, but Lyndon, until he either leaves or does put pen to paper to a new contract, should all this not be in the Rumour Mill section of the website?

Moshiri, will you please keep away from them as much as possible and use EvertonFC.com to relate your views to the supporters?

Look at the fuss caused by Niasse, Deulofeu et al, who are mere bit-part players at the minute, although Niasse might have an opportunity to revive his Everton career, due to Rom's need to move on to bigger and better.

Truly which Champions League regular would pay more than 㿨m for him? No one 'cos as been explored before the very top sides don't need or want him, too many holes in his game.

Clubs in Italy and Germany can't afford him.

Possible destination left are PSG, maybe Sevilla or Atletic?
I guess in the last 12-18 of his contract that price would roll down opening up more possibilities, Dortmund or Juve perhaps?

If we sold him to an English club that would be suicide. Cutting our own throats.

He better sign sharpish. 'Cos as 7th is all but achieved, Koeman could and should dump him on the sidelines. Not for being a big tit but it becomes a distraction for the team. The flack he'd get from the terraces would be easily whipped up.

We would have to learn to play without him so lets get use to it. Good topic for Evertonians to get mad about!

We have no say in what the final fee will be. As pointed out by Lyndon recently, the longer he is here without signing, the stronger his hand; a fact that won't be lost on would-be buyers. I can see him going for less than we got for Stones.

We've all seen players run down their contracts and go for a song. Timing is everything, If he is hell bent on going and won't sign, the quicker we can sell him, the better.

The guy would not be human if this didn't affect his form. Just hope he gets his next goal quickly so those who backed him to get 20 can get weighed in.

All I'll say is that, if he doesn't sign a new contract over the next 3-4 months, we'll need to sell him this summer to maximise our return on investment. Can't have him run down the final two years of his contract.

And we've used him as a stepping stone. And we're not really "a part of" Lukaku; just read TW; "sell him for x if we get an offer"; and Everton will sell him if the offer is good enough; if it's not, we won't.

One day, an extremely wealthy owner who can carry the loss of a potential few tens of millions, will hold a world class player to midnight on the last day of his contract.

I realise that Jamie is only having a laugh but I sometimes wonder just how much truth there is with former reds scattered about the place and with access to all areas? They call us bitter but by god they don't like us having something they are short of and I wouldn't put it past any of them...

We've properly employed him as a player in accordance with an agreed contract. His opportunity for playing time and improvement at Everton is precisely what's brought us to this today. We owe him nothing.

I don't remember him mentioning the Champion's League when he was at West Brom.

That's another debate, but very interesting. We do have to start to get used to life without him.

The percentage football we are playing... without Lukaku?

Wholesale changes ahead!

What's the worst if we sell him in the summer? The manager gets £100 million to spend on players. Actually his attitude could be a bad influence on the squad. We are trying to build something here. Move him on!

Anyone think this may have been a plan by the agent and player to drum more interest in the summer? Don't worry, Mr Lukaku. If we don't get what we want your going nowhere and the agent knows!

No doubt, unless his attitude changes, he will continue to be a spoiled brat ala Sterling, who, at least, has the ability to make Lukaku an also-ran in terms of skill and ability to make it big in todays world of cut throat football.

A life time of major dissappointments, on the pitch and off on the club side, and a few golden years, this is the lot of an Evertonian..

Fate or no fate, no player is bigger than the club, and who reads or trusts what the Echo Rag (RS Rag) Paul Joyce RS, and who ever on Sky Sports writes, says about our club, unless it comes from the club?

Let's focus on Saturday and see what happens to Lukaku, at the end of the season, as he's under contract. Koeman and Moshiri, should know how to manage this one out effectively. Let's see what happens. We need to have faith in Farhad Moshiri and Ronald Koeman, and focus on finishing as high as possible in the Premier League.

He's good enough and he will have suitors, just like Ronaldo, Suarez, Bale etc before him.

That's modern football; doesn't matter if players are idolised at clubs, they have no affinity to them and will move on.

That's football.

Has Bill mis-read the runes yet again? The point that Rob @31 is a good one, why do Everton always seem to feed the RS just prior to a derby game? They've come out in force on twitter with their NEverton stuff.

According to the Mai,l Romelu said he wouldn't sign a new contract, following today's training session at Finch Farm, who put it into the public domain?

If it turns out to be one of Bill's master plans to sell Romelu and bring in Rooney, I'll be shoving my ST up the man's backside. I honestly thought we had moved on from all of these type of shenanigans at Goodison but now it seems we are doing it on a grander scale.

Where's the stadium announcement, Bill?

How much is he worth in the current climate? 㿞m? Whatever it is, we need him sold in the summer otherwise his value is only going one way.

At least he has given us 2 years notice. In the current environment, he has handled himself comparatively well.

Understand people saying £60-70M is low but realistically we're not in the driving seat here. He has two years left and his value will drop like a stone if he stays next season without a new contract. If we don't budge down from £90M he'll be gone for around £60M this summer or much less next summer.

Undecided myself but cannot see them signing a £90M release clause. Only hope would be the Chinese paying silly money for costa and then Chelsea giving us that silly money for Lukaku (although I think costa is a better all-round player).

But yes, he has used us a stepping stone; he wants Champions League football now and cares little about Everton. Move him on and get the best deal possible.

Worrying if true. We need him scoring goals, not on the bench.

If we got, for example, Gabbiadini then Lukaku wouldn't be in as strong a position as he is. I think he will sign and a compromise can be agreed when no one is willing to meet our valuation of the player.

Of course we'll miss his goals but we're going to have to deal with that sooner or later. Much more important to get Barkley signed up imho.

It's never good when a team is as dependent on one player as Everton is today. Play him in every game there is left and hopefully he will be the leagues top scorer. That will increase the price tag.

No player is bigger than our team.

How can he be an idiot if he understands that there is limit on what other clubs will pay for him and doesn't want a contract that will prevent him moving on at any time?

Why drop him unless he starts to under-perform? If he wants a move then he needs to put himself in the 'shop window'. Wouldn't it soften the blow if he was able to get us into the top six this season?

He's got 2 years left at the end of the season so we can hold out for a good price for him.

If he's not irreplaceable then we shouldn't be expecting to get enough for him to buy an absolute megastar, but even on a bad day we should get enough for him to get a competent replacement and perhaps an up and coming who's a bit of a gamble. We're going to have to rely on getting the maximum from improving what we can easily afford for quite a while yet.

The only stumbling block with that though, is the release clause.

I'd drop him for Saturday too and play Calvert-Lewin as I'm not interested in watching players who aren't interested in playing for us.

Signing a new deal doesn't amount too much these days, barring the release clause we can add. Sell him in the summer and, if Chelsea want him, demand 㿲m and Tammy Abraham. Abraham is beast of a striker and has already scored 18 goals in the Championship. He's only 19 and could be a like-for-like replacement in a couple of seasons.

Bring in Dembele for an immediate replacement. We'll undoubtedly have Rooney too. I'm really not arsed if Rom goes as long as we get a decent fee. He's always treated Everton like a stepping stone.

The latter is the best for us, save the extra money in his wages from now till the summer and get a higher fee when he moves on to Chelsea or PSG I'd imagine.

Looks like we've got European football so I'd give Calvert-Lewin and Lookman some good game time. It's time to move on.

Like John P (#20), I can see him returning in a year or two after not cutting the mustard in Germany or Spain (we shouldn't sell him to an English club). He's a great player, imo, but there are other great talents out there e.g. Williams, Lacazette even Batsuyahi who's been frozen out at Chelsea.

I can actually see Rooney coming in to help the development of Calvert-Lewin who seems to be highly rated by Ronald and his team.

I'd be gutted to see Rom leave but it won't be the end of the world (as long as he moves abroad) as we can replace him with like-for-like talent. He's becoming a distraction so we need to move on.

Everton's job is to demand the best price for a proven Premier League scorer and for Walsh and Koeman to get heads together and sign appropriate suitable replacement(s) before Lukaku goes back to his beloved Chelsea or wherever...

In other words if/when he goes he does so on Everton's terms and theirs alone! No player, however big he thinks his reputation is, is bigger than the club.

In fairness, Lukaku has done very well for us; but how much of that is also down to the support and 1:1 coaching etc he has had at the club?

He is a big fish in a small pond at Everton relatively speaking. Be interesting how his game develops as a small fish in a bigger pond if he gets his dream Champions' League move. He might not be quite as good as he thinks he is?

Koeman has a lot of admiration for him and would never drop the lad. It seems supporting Everton means getting screwed every season, one way or another.

I still say we should go for Sturridge and Batsuyayi. They would cost less than half of Rom's fee.

Who does everyone think is the future centre-forward for Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Ademola Lookman? I thought it was odd DCL came on on Saturday rather than Lookman; IMO, Lookman has shown more than DCL...

Until it actually comes to him being able to control a football and not give up possession just outside the opposition's penalty area.

Anyway it's about time our other players started to learn how to score goals.

One last thing: drop him for the Hull game and tell the media to go fuck themselves.

Contract talks should have waited until the end of the season and if he isn't to sign then so be it. Everton is bigger than any other player, we have seen it in the past.

We need to get a couple of strikers in the summer along with some creativity and we'll be fine. As long as Koeman is here, I'm pretty confident we'll do well under his management.

The reality is he never really intended to stay anyway – why are we surprised?

Fuck him and move on.

We should also have Rooney and Calvert-Lewin, and still make a profit. I've always supported Lukaku but I don't think we'll miss him as much as we think. As you say, he might not cut the mustard at a top Champions League club because he'll be dropped if he goes into one of his lulls in form.

Howard Kendall sold Lineker because he felts he was taking goals away from a team that had been scoring from other positions. He was sold, the following season we won the league after winning nowt with Lineker.

I'm not saying we 'll do much better next season with other strikers but our tactics won't be dependent on one player. This is another reason why I don't think Rom will hit the same heights at one of the clubs he desires to join. He won't be pandered to like he has been at Goodison.

In my opinion, who we sell him to is more important than what we get, particularly as our financial position is no longer parlous. With that in mind, we must not, under any circumstances, allow him to go to Man Utd or Chelsea, or Man City. Mourinho will no doubt want to get one over on Chelsea, and they, on the other hand, still regard the player as theirs anyway.

I somehow don't think Guardiola fancies the Lukaku type, but I could be wrong. With their money, they could bid for him just to keep him out of the clutches of the other two.

Sell the mercenary to some Chinese outfit, anywhere but the Premier League – we can take a 'loss' on matter of principle. We could let him go to Germany or Italy for less than we would get here, but with a sell-on clause if his next club sells him back to a Premier League club.

If we take Man United's 'tourist' dollar, we will not have moved on since we lost Rooney to those twats. All that will have changed is the figures.

He would be a huge loss for us. He has improved an awful lot this season.

However, I just can't see which big team he would go to if he wants to be playing all the time? Unless of course Benzema's days are truely numbered or Man Utd are interested?

1. I am surprised anyone really believed what was coming out of the agent's mouth.

2. I am surprised anyone is surprised!

Whilst talking about surprises, I am surprised he has actually stayed with us for this long. I know there are a couple of reasons for this!

Who knows what developments will be made between now and the end of the season? If no developments are made on the contract, well we have a top striker that we will get a good price for at a healthy profit after 4 years of decent service.

As said, who knows what will happen, we still have quite a while before the contract ends and value drops!

If the media is right about it being about the buyout clause (that is a big if too), then surely this is an area that can be negotiated and compromised if it is the only sticking point; again, none of us really know!

Barkley is all the more urgent, in my opinion.

What a club!

I am sick of the same old subject rearing it's ugly head. It's all about his ambition. if he doesn't think we are moving quickly enough in the right direction, then he has to make his decision for his own needs.

I hope he gets the golden boot, and if he wants out, then we sell him for a decent fee. No point getting all indignant about it. We were quite happy to offload our lesser lights to Sunderland, and happy to pick off the likes of Gana from poor Villa.

Take it on the chin, and buy a new messiah.

His goals can be replaced by getting more goals from players around the team and a half decent center-forward. No control, very rarely beats a keeper when one on one, rarely wins a ball in the air, sulks when he doesn't get the ball.

Who came in for him when he was at Chelsea? By the looks of it – only us!

And why do we all moan about his Bambi touches and laziness?! Other teams see it too. Clearly he can finish though which is why were having this issue!!

My point is I actually can see why his agent wont sign a 䀆m release clause, he'd be potentially unbuyable and may never get his CHampions League dream. Everton need to be realistic. 㿭m release, sign the boy up and get as many games out of him as possible.

He's going to leave its only a matter of time. I would even offer him big bonus payments if he stays another full season, just get the maximum amount of goals from him before he leaves. It wasn't his fault that he wasted 2 seasons under that phoney Martinez, nor that he doesn't exactly get great service and gets a dozen chances every week.

If it is true, drop him immediately and give the two young lads ago. His head went last year, so we can just come out and say 'heads not right'. Leave him in the reserves until we get the money that is fair and right. So what if it takes a year or more – we have the contract.

The media have a habit of making any old shit up, and specialise in Chinese whispers. So it's possible your heads are being messed about by the media.

But that possibility seems to be ignored, a conclusion jumped to that the media reports are accurate (which one, though?), and some responses that Lukaku is a gobshite. Maybe it's just the media who are gobshites?

As long as he gives 100% till the end of the season, then good luck to him.

Like everyone on here, I was born and will die a blue but big money is big money and a footballer's career is short enough.

As long as he doesn't sign for the Devils spawn, I couldn't care less where he goes.

As much as I'd like him to stay, him leaving will mean the team will start to spread the load of goals around the team. We are very reliant on his goals as everything goes through him, so it's natural he will get all the goals.

Same thing when Lineker left and we didn't do too badly without him. Also the same when Rooney left, we became more of a team.

All it will do is alter how we play. Great and good players have left Everton before and we somehow manage to survive.

Thanks for the effort Rom, we shall get by without you.

Giving lukaku 𧶀k a week could be a disaster financially on securing other players long term. Don't really understand when last week it was a 99.9999% done deal. Anyone think he really was going to sign a contract with all the Champions League talk last season?

The truth of the matter is that there are no direct quotes from any sources in any of the reports spinning around the news rooms and therefore nobody apart from Rom, his agent, Everton FC and perhaps a club who is interested in Rom has a clue.

The latest "Rom won't sign' does seem to have legs but we don't know who leaked it and for what reasons. Only time will tell as is usual. I'm more interested to see if Everton FC are going to have a new ground lined up in the very near future, that will shape the club's destiny for far longer than any individual player – no matter how good they are.

Players hold the aces now; we should look to sell him asap. to the highest bidder. Because he can walk away for a big zero in two years time!

If he's going, don't let it be to the Mancs.

Who scores our goals in the meantime?

Constant waffling season after season about his ambitions. Not the team's ambitions.

Would it have hurt to tell the club that a decision will be made at the end of the season? Nah, lets cause maximum stir by telling the club in the last straight of the season, just before the Derby!

I'm tired of the Lukaku show. Great goal scorer and obviously a player we need to keep – but without the bullshit that goes with it!

Agreed. We have goals in the team. He's a striker so I understand his selfish play sometimes but I think he intimidates some others who might otherwise have a go.

Like a new signing.

Yes he has scored a lot of goals but has missed just as many, he forgets he wants to play in the elite leagues but has been the one of the players when Everton have really needed him to perform in the big games has gone missing.

At Everton he is the only target we have; the one thing Everton do is provide their center forwards with a lot of opportunity's and always have throughout the history of the club. I'm shore that any decent centre-forward will score the same amount of goals.

Everton have made him the player he has become but he shows us no respect. He will make it hard to sign quality players when one of your best players basically comes out and says he has no faith in Everton becoming a big club. Look what happened when he was at a so-called big club he struggled to make the bench.

He wants Champions League football. He might have one or two years patience with Everton. But he needs a way out and a release clause of £90 million could be tricky for him.

I can't see him be good enough for Real, Barca or Bayern. He does not fit the style of City, Arsenal, Liverpool or Spurs (and Liverpool and Spurs can't afford him anyway) (and for 200 other reasons Liverpool is not an option).

That leaves 3 clubs who are big enough and who can afford him. United, Chelsea and PSG. But I don't think he wants to go to France. He is more ambitious than the French league.

Very much will depend on Costa and Zlatan. If they stay, there is no buyer for Lukaku this summer. I am confident this is all part of negotiations and he will extend the contract with a release clause on max £75 million.

He would be circa 㿅mil, a great stopgap and would be better than Rooney goals-per-game ratio-wise.

Don't get me wrong, I would love Lookman or Calvert-Lewin to step up, but to lean on them for 20+ goals a season? No way.

Sturridge is good value and will get goals, who cares if he played for Them? He is proven.

What's more, he'll come in and do a decent 18 months or 2 years then go, by which time our young ones will be ready.

What's your take on this pantomime? (Quick, before Eugene clocks on!)

Last month, Lukaku's agent said Romelu would re-sign for us within in days and what do you know we get shafted again.Will this shit ever change? Isn't anyone else sick to death of this comical fiasco called EFC?

If Moshiri offered Lukaku big boy's money, ie 𧶀k a week, I am sure he would stay another season see if we make the Champions League. We are a big club now aren't we? Well, aren't we?

To associate a gobshite like Sturridge with our great club borders on insane – stop it.

So Everton no longer had a need or use for Oviedo and decided to move things on for their own benefit. Players know that is the reality, so I'm not surprised when they look to move things on for their own benefit. It cuts both ways.

New stadium? No news on that.

Sissoko? Oh, we don't want to upset James McCarthy.

Big signings? Oh well, FFP means we can't spend big... so it's just the Stones money after all.

It's no skin off my nose that folks jump to conclusions, but it does seem nonesensical to see the usual immediate 'Lukaku is a gobshite' type comments. You wouldn't believe that (a) the media is regularly unreliable, and (b) Lukaku is regularly a top scorer for us.

I'm wondering if he'll get booed on Saturday, as we don't kniw for definite, best hold that off for now.

He has his critics, me included, but he is a tremendous player. We saw on Saturday that he can score and make goals. We will be significantly poorer without him.

That next step looks shaky now...

If Suarez can leave the RS, Bale can leave Spurs, Ronaldo dumps Man Utd, then Lukaku can certainly move from Everton.

Four years at Everton is probably about right for one of Europe's top talents. Nobody has used anybody as a 'stepping stone', that's football I'm afraid in the 21st century.

I don't even think it's about money with the player, he wants to play for one of Europe's top clubs, and we simply don't fall into that category ,yet.

Moshiri's revolution (or evolution) has come too late for Rom, and Everton. Pity though, as he simply is a goal scoring machine.

All this nonsense about 'let him rot in the the reserves immediately', play Calvert-Lewin (yeah, with all his big game experience). Are we that thick skinned to castigate probably our best player with 10 games to go, because he wants pastures new?

People need to get a grip of themselves. We are on an upwards trend, on and off the field under Moshiri, this is just a blip along the way.

Lukaku is getting better all the time but, without reinforcing the team with the quality we need, I don't blame him wanting to go. If he stays one more year, there's still no guarantee we will finish above 7th next season either...

Watch...We will get even better and he is a Martinez man anyway.

I believe none of that but fucking narked by the game these days... unless we can do the same to others of course. Then it is all fair.

Perhaps their source has asked to be kept out of it, or perhaps Everton FC itself have used it to move things along. I don't know any more than you do, but the whole truth and nothing but the truth even in a court of law is not easily attained and highly unlikely when there are millions of pounds at stake.

The reactions of people to actual or fake stories doesn't really bother me, as everybody is entitled to react in any way they like.

Look, it comes as no surprise he has talked of nothing else since he joined about wanting to play for a Champions league team. He probably thinks he is having his best goal scoring form in the Premier League so make the most of it.

Yes he will be missed but we have sold far better players than Lukaku and no doubt will do so again its football. The giants pick the gems from the rest, exactly like we did in the 60s with John Moores money. Until we have a side capable of getting into a regular Champions League place, this will continue.

They should start a marketing campaign now to move him on at the end of the season for the best price and get looking for a replacement (or two) if the price is right. I am not going to have a pop given the amount of goals he has brought to the team. Good luck to him but he isn't Everton at the end of the day.

And a big No to Sturridge – firstly, he is the proverbial sick-note; and secondly, no Everton player should ever be doing that half-witted celebration.

Go easy on us.Last time I looked, football was an emotional game.

I agree we are on an upward trend – and nobody said there wouldn't be any rocks on the slopes.

I love Lukaku and he is arguably the best striker we've had in modern times but this nonsense leaves a bitter taste. If you are kissing our badge and love us, sign the contract! Simple. If not, thanks a lot and good luck in the Champions League!

Regardless of Rom's own state of mind, what about his teammates and fans in the ground?

Unless this is clarified by Saturday, it may derail this game against a very beatable side.

Poorly handled by all involved. Everton that.

Rob, the journos reporting this are ITK.

Remember that?

Then later this (not that surprising) Lukaku news breaks. No, you're right. Nonsense. Just wondering what has changed with Lukaku over the last 2 weeks?

I'd love for him to stay, yet the lad needs to be happy. If we can bend over backwards for him I'd allow it. Only if he sees us winning the title in 5 years like I do. No point keeping half ass merchants and mercenaries.

Anyone good enough to score 20+ goals and compete for the golden boot deserves to play in the Champions League. It's a league for the best of the best and we're still the best of the rest.

Last season there were doubts of him staying and I said he should stay for another season, at least, and leave for 㿲m next season(which is the following season). He did. I'm happy. Am I satisfied? No. I'll always want more, it's human nature to.

the way we have been playing this season along with the revamp of our current squad, we will surely be able to compete for Champions League next season. Be it with or without Lukaku. He is irreplaceable but not indispensable. I don't think we'll get another 30+ goal scorer a season if he leaves but it's not crucial if the team plays and moves like a single organism.

Someone over here told me that during Moyes's era we were a team without a striker, and now we're a striker with no team. This was about two months ago. When Coleman was our second highest scorer.

What I'm saying is in these past two months, yes Lukaku is crucial but everyone else has started to chip in with goals too. It's not easy finding a top striker who'll come to a non Champions League side, but I'm happy our team is coming together and grinding out wins.

Woah, this is a lot of redundant rambling. Pardon me: if he wants to stay let him, if he wants to go let him go. He'll win the golden boot and if clubs aren't willing to break the bank for him, they obviously don't love him and value him like we do.

Alright, I've said my peace. Love the lad. I hope he can see the clubs great future, like we saw in him.

The players you mention all signed for Barca or Real Madrid. Clubs that actually have a chance of winning the Champions League.

We are always hearing this "I want to play in the Champions League." Well sign for Celtic then. They're in the Champions League every season. What they really mean is "I want to play in the Champions League with a club that can win it".

As I've already pointed out the clubs that have the best chance of winning the Champions League won't sign Lukaku. They both have more, not to mention better, strikers than him.

Personally, if this story turns out to be true of course, I would use him as sparingly as possible. We have other strikers. Time to see what they can do. You mention Calvert-Lewin doesn't have any big game experience. Well unless he plays in big games he's unlikely to get any and I think a run out against Hull will hardly do him any harm and may do him and Everton some good.

Realistically nothing is going to happen until the summer. We'll find out where we stand and what sides that are likely to buy Lukaku actually made it into the Champions League and are prepared to stump up the 䀆 million required to get him. I don't think there will be that many.

Next it will be I wanna play in China cause I love using chop sticks. Money, my friends, nowt else.

And guess what – we'd all do the same in his shoes. He has no allegence to Everton. Get shut or be held to ransom.

I am confident we will get a very good price and get in other potent players. We might also change our style into a more attractive one, I hope.

I have little doubt Koeman and Walsh have known he was going anyway.

What can we offer? Mediocre wages, the faint promise of a top 4 challenge and a nice picture of a stadium which might get built.

We have nothing to offer; he holds all the aces so sell and get top dollar. It's sad to say but it's all we can do.

Bit sickened by this news but he is not irreplaceable. I agree with those who are more concerned with keeping Ross.

The timing of this is really bad and could potentially disrupt our end-of-season. Not really surprised but it still feels a bit like a kick in the teeth. :(

Fans on here seem to dislike the young man and this is a player who is head and shoulders above anyone else on the books at scoring goals. He also creates goals and his all around play has really improved of late. EFC are paying him decent money and so far he is earning it in full.

If indeed it is true that he wants away then he will continue to score goals for us until he is sold. Every good game he plays for us enhances his value and the fans on here who are calling for him to be dropped must be insane.

I hope he sticks a couple in the net against Liverpool and the rest of the team play well enough to gain a victory at Anfield.

We have made loads of money out of selling our best players for years and we are seen as a selling club. This has gone on for donkeys years and even during the time we have played in the Premier League. Rooney, Arteta, Fellaini and Stones all brought good profits which were not spent fully.

If Lukaku nets the club 㿷 million or more who believes the manager will receive all the profits to invest in the team? We took in 㿛 million for Stones and spent 㿙 million. None of the promised 𧴜 million was used at all.

We could have signed Brahimi and Gabbiadini but did not. We still do not have a real playmaker and instead of signing Gabbiadini we settled for Valencia on loan.

I still think we can get the most out of Lukaku for the rest of this season and God Willing next season too. Don't forget that Barkley has still to sign a new contract and he is a Liverpool lad.

Instead the club have endowed him with praise and gone on about begging him to stay.

We should have more pride and for anyone whose heart is elsewhere, let someone who wants to wear the shirt play and make him realize he is already at a big club where competition for places is ripe..

We are still too small-minded and as for Bill and Ben still conducting negotiations – the mind boggles.

Realistically, Bayern, Real Madrid and Barcelona don't want him. His level is Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund or possibly one of the English clubs, but we know Mourinho doesn't fancy him, would Guadiola or Pocchetino fancy a player whose movement and ability or willingness to press is not exactly of the highest?

There's possibly Arsenal, or would he cross Stanley Park? I think he may be talking or possibly his agent's talking, but how realistic his ambitions are remain to be proved.

And the blame on the team mates when he doesn't score an easy one. And the arrogance when he scores and no connection with the fans that make his 𧵄,000 a week unacceptable. Of course he wants that and players round him rather than work hard for success.

Bright lad. Great life ahead of him. Used the system and our club very well. Pint with him? No, selfish twat as many are now. May be time to stop supporting a game that is Trumpesque.

We are stupid.

Completely agree. Talking about moving is a lot easier than actually moving. Especially at the price we're looking for. If he does go we could probably get two of three players with the cash. What about this guy. Scored 28 goals in forty games.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD82fH8_Gn0

Apparently he's available for £15 million. There's always other fish in the football sea.

Anyone suggestion Sturbridge needs their head testing. His fitness record makes Gibson look like Lou Gehrig (before the MND)

"Could people stop mentioning Sturridge as any type of replacement please."

Thank you.

Would anyone use those words about Messi or Ronaldo? They're still magnificent players, so who the hell cares if you would use the word "humble" to describe them?

Personally, I don't think Rom will do any good with the pressure of a top 4 club who expect 100% work rate, and goals against Chelsea, Man Utd etc – something Lukaku doesn't seem to have in his locker. He should be asking why Chelsea got rid without him ever scoring a goal for them; even missing a pen in an important match where the pressure got to him.

I'm sure for the transfer fee we can get a hungry, harder working striker who will suit the manager's pressing philosophy. Tim Cahill was actually nominated for the Ballon d'Or but never once asked for a move – I prefer players who want to be at Everton to mercenaries, so thanks for the memories and good riddance to the bad smells from his dad and agent.

Even Kendall was lured by Barca in 85-86 and we ended up selling Lineker after a season, so It wouldn't surprise me if both Koeman and Rom moved on in the summer – it's the nature (sadly) of football these days. I wouldn't drop him, though – what possible purpose will that serve?

It does start to get to you when all you hear are lies and half-truths from every self-interested part of the game, be it the Chairman, agents, managers, media or players.

Household name pundits who only give an opinion that will suit the demographic that hang on to their every word and people like Carragher who think it's cool to be taken seriously on MNF but act like childish idiots when something goes wrong at Goodison. Apart from that, it's still fun though, isn't it?

I think everyone's going over the top in their reaction to Lukaku. What would be the point in dropping him when we still have a chance, albeit remote, of finishing 4th. Plus every goal he scores in the run-in will add £££s to his transfer fee.

He's a posturing self-centred deluded prick who can score goals. Give me someone else who actually gives a shit about Everton. Sell please and remove him from our website. Egotistical, small minded mercenary. Go to Chelsea and rot.

Why else go public with a 99.99% certainty? Why not simply wait to give an announcement when it was signed?

I hate the fact that I love this game. It sucks.

Not fussed about losing him. I have faith that our new management will find plenty of quality to replace him. Regardless of our striking situation, I believe the summer window will see us add quality all over the park.

The only thing I dislike here is his attitude. Want to leave? Understandable (although this is the only real place you have flourished) but show some damn respect. Come out and say so directly. Don't mock us. Something along the lines of "I feel now is the time for me to move on and I want both Everton and the club to benefit from this."

The cheeky and childish "triple no" with a smirk implies "I'm leaving. You lot can go get fucked. I'm better than you and I don't give a shit if I screw you over to get mine."

We should take a strong stance and bench him. Don't let players decide when they are done with us.
This club is founded on respect, humility, dignity. If you don't behave like a grown-up, you don't get treated like one.
Read the room, Rom.

Remember, Rom, that golden boot is so close!!!

What and start getting 1-2 of the tackling machines into the opposition box, like?

I'm hoping it's just a negotiating tactic. My view has always been that Rom is a league above where we are now, he is the key to us reaching his level.

Be interesting to see who comes in for him or indeed who can afford him. Suspect Rick T is right on his analysis of the runners & riders.

Very good player but, when he does go, I suspect those of us of a certain age won't be feeling like we did when Bally left. Many still haven't got over that (though my late dad maintained that Tony Kay was a bigger loss).

If he wants to go then so be it, it's not as if it's a shock, he has stated his intentions many times and we were deluded to think he would do otherwise.

Yes, we may be 1 or 2 years away from challenging for the Champions League but we are heading in the right direction.Two teams above us are also going to be disappointed by losing out so Rom needs to be clear as to the greener grass? Therefore, the continent may beckon.

There are other strikers out there, who if given the supply will score goals. I predict that we are going to have a very exciting future, with a fantastic new ground and some great youngsters breaking into the first team. We will become an envied club because the grassroots and structure and being put in place.

Take the money and move on; relax – everything will work out fine.

Come on, Chris, we hardly needed much playing. We've known this day was coming for two years and, in true Everton fashion, we are still totally unprepared.

Fuck him. He's done nothing but mouth off and disrespect the club from the moment he joined. Yes, he's scored a lot of goals, but he's also strolled around the pitch like it's a day at the park and barely bothers to celebrate goals. I've often wondered if that attitude of his, amongst others, wasn't the cause of the dressing room unrest that was obvious last season.

Put him in with the Under-23s until the summer then get rid.

Sell for top dollar – we have had to replace far better than him over the years and let's just make sure we get good money.

Liverpool had exactly the same problem with Suarez and found a way which didn't involve finding a top striker. We will survive – let him go!

I was 50/50 and then recently started to believe he would stay... more fool me.

Our attack in the last match at home to West Brom was Lukaku with only Barkley and Mirallas in support. Even in that match we still went with Barry and Schneiderlin in midfield, with Davies running around, not quite sure where he was supposed to be.

At Spurs Lukaku was left isolated up top with nobody except Barkley in support, while Barkley was often having to get the ball in our own third since we were set up so deep the entire match. So yeah, Lukaku could continue to play in that system and somehow still lead the league in goals. Or he could go to a top club that will always set out the team to attack and win matches.

All last Summer, these pages were flooded with excuses as to why we didn't make any big signings. We were told we can't attract the top players when we're mid-table and not in the Champions League. But now many of those same people are talking about how easy it's going to be to replace one of the best strikers in Europe, while we're still mid-table and not in the Champions League. I'm sure Aguero will be banging down our doors to sign up and spend Thursday nights in Russia. If you want to be outraged with anyone, take it up with the Board who have still not spent the money that is required to compete at the top.

Two years left... we still have the upper hand. He has to be sold in the summer though.

I trust the manager to spend the fee on two players to replicate the total of goals Lukaku scores. Buy Mertens with a large offer and a centre forward with remainder.

Well said. Why drop him.

There's no release clause at present. Let him play. Score his goals. We get every penny we can. We move on.

He's always struck me as highly ambitious and I can't fault it but little interest in our club.

Two of those are back. I reckon the 3rd will too in a deal this summer + £50m. If Wayne becomes the coach/manager he says he will, well I for one find that exciting.

We'll get another forward. We've got a good manager and DoF who'll find someone.

Rom is an asset. He's not a legend. Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.

£50 mill from Chelski plus Michy Batshuayi in part exchange will do me. That's £50 mill to spend on 3 class players, Lukasz Teodorczyk-Kasper Dolberg-Youri Tielemans. Then the Sky money can be spent on a goalie, centre back & 2 full backs.

Sounds good when you look at it like that doesn't it.

BUT:

Alex (Sandy) Young, Dixie, Tommy Lawton, Dave Hickson, Alex Young, Joe Royle, Big Bob, Sharpie, Gary Lineker, Big Dunc, Andy Gray, Super Kev etc

All the above were proper centre-forwards who showed a pride in wearing the blue shirt – unlike the big, lazy, fat, overrated shithouse who is full of his own importance.

He is one total prick who is a legend in his own mind. Sell him and let's move on!!

COYB

Take away his locker, his shirt number, and make him train with the Under-12s.

He may go on and achieve greatness in the game, he may not. I don't wish him ill, but I won't follow his career like others who have graced us and left.

I'm as indifferent to him as he has been to us. I'd have Big Dunc over him any day of the week. Let's cash in and go and find another Blue legend.

Wonder what Lukaku is going to hear when he walks out into Goodison this weekend. Still, though, I hope it's all BS and Rom is staying.

As others have said, he has been here four years and delivered a lot. Footballers have a short career and he is capable of playing at the top; it is a sensible time to move for his career and he could easily have gone last summer.

He may only get two moves in his career from now on.. Chelski may well need another forward, are a shoo in for the league title and may we'll lose their unpleasant forward over the Summer; there is PSG, an ageing Bayern team and the top Spanish teams to spark an auction.

The difference with Suarez, Bale and Ronaldo is that we have no real idea where he will end up. My guess is he will go abroad – possibly to PSG. One of the few positions where don't have decent backup. Still, Niasse is also scoring!!! There is always hope.

How many players balked at coming to Everton last summer? Even bloody Sissoko turned us down.

Hungry, talented, but unproven youngsters are our future. The scouts need scour the world, not just Britain, for talent, if we are to be better than 7th.

To publicly giggle and smirk and say "No, no, no," when being questioned about his new contract, to constantly do irritating little things when he is on international duty to belittle us, to never be happy that he is playing for us. If we don't make a stand against it then it opens the floodgates for other players to do the same.

Drop him immediately and never let him play for us again, the contempt he has always shown us is a disgrace and he aint even that good. We have had four years out of the prick, let him rot in the reserves and see how many clubs want him in two years time.

Basically, Lukaku made it clear, videos are there for all to see if they trawl for them, that he was disappointed not to leave us last summer. He said something along the lines of he was now taking it game by game and would see what happens and wasn't looking too far into the future.

The lad made it clear that he thought he was ready to go up a level last summer. Instead, we forced him to stay, and unless we pulled off a miracle and got top 4, he was always going to leave this summer.

Now onto today's story. My thoughts are:-

Who leaked it?
Why did they leak it?

Did Rom or his agent leak it? No, what have they to gain? Rom has the most dishonourable agent out there. Of course he's trying to flog him to every club he can. All he was interested in was making sure it was for the maximum to maximise his fee – see Pogba. He can do this better on the quiet, behind Everton's backs. The guy goes to meet, say Chelsea, as the agent for another of their players, no-one knows about the meeting about Rom. No reason for them to leak it.

So is it good journalism uncovering this story?

Or is it Everton themselves? Why would Everton leak this story? Maybe they want to get a bidding war underway? Maybe they want to get a deal done early? Maybe they want Rom to play better in the last few games to get his dream move? Maybe they want Rom's replacement to know he's coming in for Rom and so our interest is genuine? Maybe it's to let Rom's agent know we have drawn a line in the sand and we won't budge: sign the deal, we won't lower the release clause below £ X mil. I hope it is just a contract negotiation tactic and it works.

I have actually warmed up to him a bit the last several months, he has definitely upped his game and effort along with Barkley.

Like others though this doesn't suprise me one bit, he was always going to move on, if not this summer then next, we have to accept it and adjust, which we will.

Lukaku is running out of time in a short career. If he wants to become one of the best strikers in world football, then he either needs to be convinced that our "project" is happening, and at the speed that would give him a chance to achieve what he wants.

If not, then it is no wonder that his head may be turned towards a club with Champions League football and a realistic chance of domestic silverware.

He could do his cruciate tomorrow and spend a year out. He owes us nothing, he has got us lots of goals, and if we sell him this summer we should still get good money for him.

He isn't one of our own, he is an employee of a club, if his thyroid went bonkers and he put on 5 stone, I don't suppose anyone on here would be overly concerned. It is a symbiotic relationship until one of the parasites decides that the other is no longer helpful.

The club that decided he was not good enough so sold him to us for 㿈m;

Or:

The club managed by the guy who thought he was not good enough so sold him for 㿈m.

He obviously will feel very wanted.

The main consideration now for the manager and the coaching staff is to make sure this does not have too damaging an effect on team morale.

The club should already be working full out for a Summer replacement.

It was a great night for the Foxes; however, the sooner they are out, the happier I'll be as they might rob Everton of any chance of European footy, very unlikely, but anything can happen if it's still possible.

That's what it is all about in modern day sports because worldwide television coverage guarantees the ridiculous wages and bonuses etc. I hate to say it but if he is actually itching to move and is demanding the earth then drop him to the reserves for the remainder of the season.

In some cases if a club capitulates to a players exorbitant demands then the player sometimes fails to deliver the following season. As I said yesterday he is not irreplaceable so if it's going to happen, make a decision quickly, ship him out and start shopping.

He can't sign a new contract until one is actually offered.

Koeman said only today: "There are talks planned. I don't think talks have started yet."

As for Lukaku? The speculation over his future has persisted ever since he first put pen to paper and the pendulum has swung from 'pissing off' to 'staying put' about sixteen times according to the press, his pimp and his Pa.

As such, this latest 'leaving' story shouldn't really surprise anyone and has probably been let out the bag in a 'before it's too late' attempt to try and draw out any serious suitors and, failing that, force the club to fall in line with a release clause more in line with what Lukaku's mob are looking for if it looks like he has no other option but to stay put for longer.

If we sell Rom for let's say 㿲m we could buy:

Schmeicel – 㿅m
Keane – 㿀m
Sigurdsson – 㿅m
Batsuyahi – 㿊m

That's a total spend of 㿊m and the team is stronger all round.

Don't go Rom, but if you do I've already spent the dough.

Sell him in the summer for 㿨-70m; if he doesn't get an offer of that fee then don't sell him. Keep the offer on the table with a release clause of 㿨-70m ― if he signs and he goes we still get 㿨-70m. Most clubs won't take that kind of risk on him anyway.

He's given us 3 years of goals, you can't knock his ambitions and can't knock his effort/determination.

Even if he doesn't sign we don't have to sell this summer even with 1 year on his contract next year people will still throw 㿊-40m at him trying to get a bargain and before all the big clubs come calling offering him massive wages. We still offered Kiev 㿀-30m for Yarmolenko when he was in his last 6-12 months. It's a win win for us we keep him and his goals and still sell him for at least what we paid.

Sometimes I think he is too greedy like he just runs at goal and sometimes still has a lot to do when there are other players in positions where they can get a tap in but he wants the goal himself. If we get another striker who is less greedy and still can score 10-15 goals a season it won't be all bad; they might get more assists because they are less greedy. Only seems we will be missing a great player because he scored most of our goals and he scored most of them because he won't pass and let others score.

I'll be sad if he goes but it's up to him. Thanks for all the goals Lukaku if you go in the summer good luck in the future.

Even if he had signed it, I would have fully expected him to be touted round and leave in the summer. In my view, there's nothing to see here.

Each year, it's the same with Lukaku: either international break or a Champions League fixture.

I get slated for saying cash in now but, if he wants pastures elsewhere, then sell to the highest bidder.

It cannot be helping the dressing room and if the guy thinks he better and the grass is greener on the other side then go, no player is bigger than Everton, so if he wants to move on with ambition then just go.

Is he one of the best strikers we have had for a while? Too right... but for those wanting him to stay, me included, it is no good keeping a player who wants out.

'Sometimes I think he is too greedy like he just runs at goal and sometimes still has a lot to do when there are other players in positions where they can get a tap in but he wants the goal himself.

If we get another striker who is less greedy and still can score 10-15 goals a season, it won't be all bad they might get more assists because they are less greedy.

Only seems we will be missing a great player because he scored most of our goals and he scored most of them because he won't pass and let others score.'

I've thought this a few times. Like against Sunderland. Okay, he beat Oviedo and Pickford but only just while Valencia to his left was in front of the open goal. As I said earlier, people seem scared to have a go sometimes in case he starts flapping his arms with his back to goal surrounded by three men. Even then, how many times do we see the ball delivered to be bounced straight off him.

If he stays and scores, I'll sing. If he goes, I'll live.

If this is the case, you have to admit they have a point, and let's face it, the 'new contract' would only be a wage rise til close season, and he's off anyway.

Mike @213, I seem to recall at the time I did not think the price for a player of such standing was anything out of the ordinary and Everton should have held out for more. One day, someone will share with us what actually happened.

The major problem is that this is happening during the first year of rebuilding, and could influence the likes of Barkley making a decision to sign a new contract. The club has to make a decisive stand on what the future holds.

As Colin stated, in this day and age, money talks and there is nothing we can do about it. A player wishing to leave to a more successful club, rather than staying on promises that may not materialize, is happening to a number of clubs, and rather than replacing one man, the manager may have to alter the tactics by bringing in a couple of players to replace him.

I can't see how that is the same as this situation with Rom.

Lukaku, on the other hand, we all know will leave. Despite his stats and record, I don't feel he has ever really taken Everton to his heart and the feeling is mutual from a lot of blues I know. Stats don't mean a damn thing; players like Tim Cahill will be folklore forever here, Lukaku will not.

Suarez had genuine love for the RS but I don't see any parallels with Lukaku. He is the quintessential modern Instragram generation footballer, only concerned with himself and his Fifa stats.

A lethal finisher but we can be stronger without him. It is all about securing the best deal for EFC. In a world where Higuain is 㿼m and Pogba 䀆m, then Lukaku can't leave for less at 23 years old with his peak still years away.

We are overly reliant on Lukaku for goals, so in my opinion, if we could bring in a Lacazette and Dembele for the Lukaku fee, I think we would actually be a stronger side. I just hope we have learned our mistakes and don't act in a way that embarrasses our great club anymore.

Teodorczyk looks terrific. And he scores goals wherever he goes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%81ukasz_Teodorczyk

It's absolutely cringeworthy when considering up until a few months ago the alternatives to provide assistance were: Koné, Deulofeu, Valencia, before McGeady, and Niasse.

It's hard to believe we even deserve a player of Lukaku's stature when you see the dross we have been courting.

People bigging Rooney up so much need to remember that he couldn't desert us quick enough – how many games did he play and how many goals did he score for us? A lot lesss than Rom, from whom we've had a lot more service than from the now well over-the-top and rarely playing Rooney.

I for one feel that Rom wants to leave; he knows we will play hard ball so will listen to contract offers so he can increase his wages. The fact, if true, that we want 䀆 million for him is putting him off signing the deal; then we need to drop our expectations.

We need to see the greater picture and that is: if we fall out now with two years left, we either sell for a lower fee in the summer, say 㿞 million (as all parties will be playing hard ball except us as we have no control other than saying no) or Moshiri decides that he sees out his contract for the next few years, and we all know that won't happen. So, for me, the best deal all-round is to set a 㿷 milion price tag, sign him up, and hope for the best?

Worst case is we have paid an extra few months wages but return a massive profit in the summer and move on?

Or I'm just hoping that's the case and not that he really doesn't want to sign?? Whatever the contract terms, if that's the case, we will loose out either way and wishful thinking Moshiri will write him off and make him stay.

To us fans, 20 goals a season over the next two years will be worth the transfer fee if the board are willing to let it go and it gives us real progress, and (dare I dream) silverware...

Let's face it, the only loyalty that exists in football these days, is with the fans, we have the monopoly on that, and all we ask for, is a modicum of that from players in return. Alas, that is just a pipedream!

We go on week after week, saying yeah, give him £ XX,000 a week he's worth it? We are talking in most cases, of a player getting more than we get in a YEAR, per week!

Come on now lads! Let' s cash in on Rom, if he doesn't want to be a blue, fuck him!

We could demand a decent profit on him, and there are always players out there who could be good replacements at a quarter of the price.

Being the Devil's Advocate now, just suppose, that we stormed the rest of the season, (it is mathematically possible) and got into the Champions League spot, what would happen then?

Get Rooney, Sigurdsson and that Sotiriou, and Michael Keane, and we would still be well in profit, and goals!

Oh yeah, if you can't start respecting this club, the club that pays your wages, the club with the best fans in the world, the club that gave you the opportunity that a certain Jose wouldn't, then fuck right off!

I've totally had it with Rom. Okay, he scores goals & is our top scorer, but what else do you do, Rom, apart from slag us off & moan all the time? I honestly don't know how he sweats so much. Constantly jumps under the ball so an not to head it & can't actually control a football.

All this "Kane vs Lukaku – who's better?" debate... recently I've been voting Kane. Hands down! I'd have Kane over Lukaku every day of the week. And Kane respects his club, plays his heart out for them, and has never instigated any kind of move away. Integrity & respect Rom – part of what you lack big time.

I will miss the goals but I won't miss him.

And, to finish, I'd like Dolberg from Ajax as a replacement please. Rooney in as well & make sure Ross signs up. Barkley, Lookman & Dolberg – young & talented to build on.

Imagine if we were into the Cup semis or really in with a shot at 4th spot, this kind of nonsense would really undermine the team. Perhaps it is due to the likelihood that 7th is assured, at worst, that this is all bubbling away now.

It is a real shame that stuff like this can't be dealt with at the end of the season. We are nowhere near a transfer window (which is often a distraction). We are left to speculate once more. I know it's an old one, but like mushrooms, we are kept in the dark and fed shit.

That lad is a diamond, a really hard worker, provider, and should be the heart of our midfield, every game – if fit!

I think there is a good chance he will link up with his buddy at Man Utd, with Rooney coming our way!

So many negatives are being dug up, it reminds me of the 'what have the Romans done for us' scene in The Life of Brian.

If this report is true, Rom has more than repaid what we laid out for him and the 㿨-㿲m we'll get will set us up nicely for reinvestment.

The lad is ambitious enough to want to play at the highest level. Nothing wrong with that. I'd like him to stay, but entirely understand why he would want to move on.

He doesn't love us? So what. he's a player with a short career not a fan with a lifelong commitment. Grow up, FFS.

I can't believe you have compared the importance of Gueye with our consistent talismanic goal machine of a striker Lukaku!

There is no comparison Gueye is good but he is not that good!

I'd say Schneiderlin is a better player than Gueye, even after a few games. Where as Lukaku has consistently scored goal's and is getting better year after year!!

Replacing a proven goalscorer is a much harder task than replacing a hardworking midfielder!

Whether it be football, politics, religion, world affairs, or whatever, us mushrooms, will always be fed scraps of shit, and be kept in the dark.

'Decisions' are always made for the 'greater good' I have experienced that so many times in my lifetime, approaching 70 soon, so I have experienced quite a bit, as a service man, (Royal Navy) later, officer, and Merchant Navy Officer too.

Very little changes Eddie, well, not in our lifespan!

And he has always treated our club with contempt, not once in the 4 years he has been here has he even slightly made me feel he is happy being here, he is a self-centered prick who will jump ship at the first oppurtunity and I couldnt care less what moshiri or anyone else says or wants, the man is a cowboy that should now be removed from our club.

No amount of goals this cretin scores will make me happy about him being here, he is everything that is wrong with our game! Anyone that thinks otherwise or is willing to put up with this wanker just for the sake of a few goals is quite welcome to sod off with him.

In my opinion, him, his dad and his agent can fuck right off and take his shite first touch with him.

He is typical of why I'm increasingly disengaged from football and the club I've supported since I can't remember. He fucks them, and us, period.

Heart? It'd need a lengthy post-mortem to find his.

It reminds me very much of the Bob Latchford saga that played out throughout most of Bob's most productive Goodison years. If my memory serves me correctly; Big Bob must have handed in three transfer requests in his time with us, and was finally granted his wish by HK upon his return to Goodison – who incidentally had been offloaded to Birmingham City to facilitate Bobs move to Everton.

Rom isn't handing in transfer requests, he is doing the modern version of it. Goodbye, Rom – thanks for the memories.

Our left back has better penalty stats than Kane who has missed five and scored ten playing for Spurs who also create far more chances for Kane than our midfielders have created for Lukaku. Lukaku's accuracy is far superior to Kane's from far fewer chances.

I hope that Lukaku reads my comments and stays with us unlike Rooney and Stones. I would not entertain Rooney coming back after he has had his career at Man Utd. He is virtually finished IMO and not good enough to displace any of our first team. He would be taking up bench room at the expense of one of our youngsters.

Let's be honest, Rom is as close to being a world class player that either club on Merseyside has seen since Suarez, and we all seen how much angling he's done for moves, wage increases etc.

As far as I'm concerned I don't like all the shit that comes with Rom, but its basically part and parcel of footy. If we flog Rom who would we be able to get who is in his bracket, we had similar debates last season and more often than not names such as Bony, Slimani and Benteke were discussed, we can clearly see they aren't even near Rom's level.

IMO the only strikers in and around Rom's age and class group are unavailable to us.

Most footballers are mercenaries, that's the top and bottom of it. We as fans need to enjoy the better players we have before they move on.

I'm not really sure what I'd do right now tbh but as we never seemed to have enough belief in ourselves to go for an achievable tho I accept unlikely fourth place finish, aka getting the January window right and not capitulating from the KO against Spurs etc, part of me thinks that several of our players may feel the same way as Rom.

It's a mess now whatever, even if it's all lies and bollocks. If we announced tomorrow he's signed a new contract then most will still see him as a money grabbing git, or chasing a Champions Leeague dream that may not quite be all it seems. Yes, we've been here before but this time does have a slightly different feel to it. He may be finished for many blues who remain of the mindset that if you shit on us once, let alone a lot, you can bugger off as we are Everton and we're bigger than you. Others, and I'm one of them, are so sick of this brinkmanship from all sides and yeh, it's football now, but we don't have to actually enjoy it, do we?

As for not being irreplaceable? Well, as one of currently only a tiny handful of players who can score 20-25 top class goals Season after season after season, we will soon see how replaceable he is. But yes, of course we will be glad to see the back of him cos he's lazy (total rubbish) and can't make goals for others (really?)

If we were really serious about our oft stated ambition we'd have spent decent money on a Gabbiadini and a Van Dyke type quality centre back and accepted being ripped off, a bit. We'd have added a decent left back as cover for Baines and we'd have taken a measured risk in a tough transfer window and well it's all about opinion but in my mind we'd not now be looking at "Lukaku leaving" speculation we'd be in a real fight for a surprisingly high finish.

I'm hoping I'm wrong about the ambition thing and I can see that the much needed investment in a really special new stadium may at last be about to happen. Please don't anyone tell us it's 99.999% certain. But you don't make a lot of progress building a squad with some outstanding players, then selling them and starting over, about once every two or three years.

It really is depressing all this but only as much as watching us constantly say we need more time, we aren't ready, we don't need to buy, the futures bright with the kids. I don't want more five-year plans. I want Lukaku scoring and making goals with a top class striker alongside him from August, and two new centre backs who can actually run and turn and win a ball in the air, and yes, an impressive Davies amazing us with the speed of his progress... and a revitalised Ross Barkley shutting us all up and showing what a class act he has in him.

I want too much, I know.

I've been bored of his attitude for years now. By all means let him go when the money is right and a viable replacement is identified. When exactly that will be is the multi-million pound question.

Anyone? No? Good night.

Sleep tight!

Your statements about Kane are correct possibly. However, what is Kane doing that Lukaku isn't? No, the answer is not padding his totals by taking all the penalties. It is, he is already playing in the CL/ Europa League. He wouldn't then have to leave to play in Europe right?

Plus, he was signed as the club's highest paid player. I am guessing Kane has a salary far and above others , including a journeyman midfielder, on his squad.

Tottenham are actually building a new stadium and have built a squad which still has yet to win anything, but is at least on track to do so. Plus, he probably enjoys a freedom from unwarranted (read idiotic) negativity.

Nail. On head.

For some experience, I would take Dzeko before Rooney, perhaps both with the money we get, and a younger prospect. To get his goals, we are probably going to have to spread them around as gettig one striker in to score the same is going to be difficult. There is always Vardy as well.

Don't fret, people. Either he will sign, or he won't and will be sold, or he will sign and yet will still be sold over this forthcoming summer. The more annoyed and hysterical you are, the more you are playing into the click-bait media's hands.

And to the posters on this thread posturing on Rom's reception at Goodison this weekend, for as long as he wears royal blue, I will cheer him and the other ten lads on the park, regardless of what is printed in the media (from in front of my TV at least!).

Gathering the boo-boys on Saturday will not help anyone, least of all Rom's contract situation. I for one am just happy that one of the finest young strikers in world football currently plays for us.

It's just so absolutely childish and immature. Emotion is one thing, but not a good enough excuse for some of the ridiculous stuff being spouted on here. He's stayed with us for four years, with the previous two years being 11th placed finishes and this year only 7th, which is sadly being cheered as an accomplishment by some.

Sorry, his ambition is bigger than many supporters and many of those running the club. He's played his part. He's scored goals and improved his game every season. The nonsense of him not being able to control a ball and not doing anything other than score goals against weak opposition is shockingly ignorant.

I hope he stays another year. But how can anyone blame him wanting to play at a higher level when his talent warrants it, but the club doesn't match up? You want more, get out and demand it from the Board instead of having wet dreams about some new stadium, as if a stadium has ever won a fucking trophy.

Hopefully, getting our frustrations out of the system on TW will help.

No? I thought not.

I'm honestly surprised that we managed to keep him this long and I think he'll be very hard to replace. Having said that, we haven't come close to winning anything despite his impressive goal tally.

Footballers are fickle these days; agent's are scum.

Point worth considering. Harry Kane ("son of Forsythe" as someone recently dubbed him) has done his ankle again. I reckon that Kane is headed down Sturridge Avenue to Weetabix Cottages. Big Rom has remained virtually injury free, so far. So if we cash in before he follows Brucie's Boy, then I'll bet as soon as he's holding a Champions League scarf over his head then the ACL, hammy or metatarsal will pop out.

Case in point, Yannick Bolasie.

As I said, he's a hired hand. Others are available.

Mr Barkley, however???

Lyndon thinks it may well be one more attempt to get exactly the deal they are looking for. JD @209 agrees, adding that there appears to be a not very subtle "before its too late" message directed towards any would-be suitors. I tend to agree with both.

Whether we like it or not the Lukaku camp have played a blinder here. They will either get the move they want, or stay and get the deal they want.

The past two years has felt like being at an auction where the fucker with the hammer cant bring himself to close the bidding

"Are we all done now? ... Ennneeee mmorrre??? ... goingg ... goinggg.... goinggggg... I'm going to have to let it go..

All it's done now is distracted the attention on whether one man will stay or not. We didn't need that ahead of a big few weeks.

Rom hasn't played the badge-kissing game, he has just been honest about wanting to get to the very top of the tree, which TBH he isn't going to do with us.

After four years, he has decided to move on, which seems fair enough. He has given us lots of goals, a huge cash profit when he does go, so thanks for that.

Liverpool lost Suarez, Spurs lost Bale and Man Utd lost Ronaldo so lets stop whining about Rom. The main thing is to spend the cash he brings us wisely.

The club will (should) have a strategy on how to manage this, just as the players agent will. My guess is if he's not signed again within 12 months then we'll sell him to the highest bidder.

That should do it, so that, come Saturday, we will not know whether to laugh or cry – boo or jeer.... or maybe cheer.

UP THE BLUES

"And to the posters on this thread posturing about his reception at Goodison this weekend". Really? You think expressing a concern about how the people who pay to watch us week in week out may react to Lukaku's approach is "posturing"? Your wrong Craig it's not that it's a reasonable reaction to a situation that isn't helping the club one little bit.

I get the argument about Rom's ambition. I have never "booed" a player putting on our shirt, ever. It's counter productive and I've honestly never seen it produce anything helpful in a match.

But there will possibly be some anger at Lukaku's approach. He is a regular at this game of sly and always mis-quoted comments, often made via his father. It is for each of us to decide whether we think it's okay for a still very well paid star player to constantly disrespect the club and its supporters with this endless stream of "I'm too good for you but hey look at me I'm doing you all a favour and staying at your little club whilst it suits me" crap.

Respect is I know an old-fashioned thing in this era where it's simply a financial game rather than about football. I and most supporters understand the reality. He will be sold, or see out his contract. He is a great player in my view and I cannot understand some of the stuff that's directed at him.

We may find ways to replace some of his goals, another quality No 9 or more likely, and much needed, two forwards. We may add more goals from midfield etc. But finding a forward capable of 20-25 goals every season, the odds aren't in our favour.

So, merely wondering how fans will see his not signing a huge contract honestly isn't about posturing – it really is about something quite different. We understand the reality, Craig, and yes, what will be, will be etc.

But along the way, why not keep the gob shut and don't play these childish games and at least quietly pretend to respect and appreciate the club and its supporters? Old-fashioned it may be but I just think there's value in the approach and we deserve at least that much from our players.

Perhaps a longer contract would give us more strength at the negotiating table but I'm not sure the difference in final price will be that large as it will likely come down to a bidding war anyway. Once a player truly has his heart set on a move, then it's usually best for all parties to facilitate it. I suspect Man Utd will want a striker this Summer and that 㿲-㿼m will see Romelu re-unite with the man who once thought he wasn't good enough.

The bigger question will be how we spend that money and which strikers Walsh has earmarked to fill those rather large boots.

As to whether Everton decide he stays or goes, that is a business decision for Everton, and the club may consider the balance of risk involved. On the one hand, taking Lukaku to the end of the current contract carries a risk of losing tens of millions of pounds in potential transfer fee.

But on the other hand, the Board could decide this risk is worth carrying, on the basis of the benefits to Everton of retaining Lukaku up to that time, those benefits possibly exceeding that transfer fee.

Yes we may well miss his goals but come on – a great player? He is not and never will be (in my opinion). I don't wish the guy any ill and will support him while at Everton... whether he deserves it or not is another matter.

Oh, the permutations...

It's Everton's decision pure and simple. Everton have 100% control in relation to the current contract. Regardless of who might wish to buy Lukaku, it's Everton's decision (and only Everton's) as to whether he stays.

Rom has been an excellent buy for us and has given us 4 years of service. My guess is that he has stalled on his new contract due to interest from a Champions League club who have told his agent they will go to 㿨 million tops.

Moshiri's responsibility is to maximise his value for the club so we cannot let him run down his contract. Sell him this summer for the valuation Everton place on him and start planning his replacement now.

Rom has it in his mind now he is better than Everton – he's not by the way – so this will only end in him leaving – whatever salary we offer him. So play him to the end of the season and sell.

Ray Wilkins on Sky Sports News saying Lukaku should remain where he is until he's 26 or 27 years old, and then move.

Wilkins goes onto say "every player wants to play Champions League football, but obviously they can't. Lukaku should stay and learn under Koeman, where he would also be guaranteed a starting place, rather than sitting on the bench (possibly) elsewhere. By the time he's 26 / 27 he will be the complete centre forward and then move.

Wilkins goes onto say "Lukaku could well get his Champions League ambitions with Everton in the next couple of years"

I honestly thought Ray Wilkins would be pushing for Lukaku to move, and realise his Champions League ambitions. He also thinks he wouldn't get in the Chelsea side if Costa remains.

Rob @294: Who really gives a shit what another 'pundit' thinks or says? I'm sure the 'pundits' won't have much influence (if any) on Everton's decision on whether Lukaku stays here.

So let's enjoy or not the fever the media get into and watch the story unfold. But, in the end, it is all about 11 players who get more points. The rest is just celebrity gossip and imaginary monopoly-like football fantasies.

Thank you.
Yes, "The Room of Nonsense".

My cap is fully doffed to you sir.

Next – if some of you think strikers at all top clubs work hard, then you've not been watching much football. Is Ibra working hard? Costa does in spouts... but not for whole games. Have you seem Higauin, who went for an insane amount, play? Or Benzema? Or Aguero?

I think sometimes fans watch their own players too much and others too little, and invent peculiar ideas because of it. I'll also say that we will find it not hard, but impossible, to find a player who both scores and creates as much as Lukaku. He statistically sets up more chances than the vast amount of top strikers, and will again boost one of the top assist stats in the league. Our success in the near future is tied to him, and it will be a killer blow to see him go.

This is not like Stones – Lukaku is already one of the league's best strikers and still has the ability to improve (some foolishly claimed he couldn't improve a couple of seasons ago because of misguided notions of how a player improves – but he has and can improve further).

If or when he goes I think we will need to target a younger striker with huge potential and a reliable one. Man City have got a great young one sitting on their bench. I also wouldn't be adverse to us taking Defoe for one season, especially if Lukaku stays. He would be a perfect back up for one year.

Just when there was a nice positive vibe about the club, with everyone concentrating on catching the top 6, and now, once again, we're being viewed as a selling stepping-stone club.

A couple of weeks back there was lots of positive stuff written about us when we were a safe distance from the group, but now we are right up there things have changed.

Chris @301: Doesn't matter how many headlines there are, or how many clubs might want to sign Lukaku, he's going nowhere unless Everton decide he is. Even with offers over 㿲M, the Board could decide that keeping Lukaku for the full duration of the current contract is more valuable than the potential loss of a high transfer fee.

Comparing the situation with Man Utd and Pogba, Man Utd might already have recouped the large amount of money they paid for him, through the various spin-off benefits of having him.

I think to drop him wouldn't do us any favours when there is an outside chance of maybe getting 5th when he plays he scores and this may help with his transfer value although I doubt it.

The attention must turn to his replacement or replacements, that we can use the transfer funds to some good use and strengthen the squad a further right back, centre back, left midfield and centre forwards are where the team requires strengthening.

Maybe this is how it is now, if we are a top club, rather than a stepping-stone club. My point being, that even the so called top 4 or 5 have faced the same problem – some individual player/ego will always see a bigger payday or more chance of success – depending how cynical you are.

We will get over this easier than we think – as long as the money is put to good use.

He's been playing us publicly (as well as playing for us) for some time now – he is unfortunately a modern phenomenon – and he certainly wont be the last.

Let's squeeze every ounce of value out of him for as long as we have him – both on the pitch and at the negotiating table.

I don't know about dropping Lukaku. I'd be saying to him "Go to Anfield and show us how good you think you are because you've never come close to doing that yet, Rom". Jermaine Beckford contributed more to the Everton cause in games over the park than Lukaku has ever managed.

I find some of the stuff on here, of the 'get rid of him, just take the money, find a replacement', both comical and representative of a 'small club' mentality.

Think about that....

He would need to work harder than anyone after what he has said. Or the fans will eat him alive. We all know he is not an Evertonian and that's fine. But time after time he has disrespected the club with his interviews while away on international duty. He should have said nothing until the summer.

How I long for a Tim Cahill type character. That guy would run through walls for Everton. And he had more balls in derbies.

He is so privileged to play for our wonderful club and it makes me sick that it's just a stepping stone to something better in his eyes. I would love just to play one game for Everton, it would mean the world to me. But sadly that will never be the case.

Sickened by the whole thing.

Dropping him on Saturday would be ludicrous. He is still our player and a professional football. So go out, do your best, score a couple of goals and on we go...

Because we need him to score goals for the club to keep climbing up the table, and we need to keep his valuation high.

Despite his goalscoring exploits, he won't be fully endeared to the club, but let's not ignore that we have had the benefit of his goals, and watching him play. When you look back, Lineker wasn't endeared to the fans, but when we stay objective, we appreciate his goals. Likewise for Tony Cottee. Wasn't endeared, but he scored his fair share of goals.

It's modern football, we get players in, and they want to move on. We get what we can from them and we move on.

Even then many said it was far too much money but others knew it would always be a great investment and he would always be moving on to a big club, which sadly we are not at the moment. Maybe we will be again in a few years.

Look at Man City and more recently Spurs. Spurs had to let Bale go and then they rebuilt the team and now stadium. As they showed this year, it's one thing getting into the Champions League but it's a lot harder to do well there.

I think a lot of fan's anger is because it's been so long since we've had players that are in such high demand. Stones and Rom were great signings for us but they were always gonna move on to bigger things.

Compare it to Sanchez or Ozil at Arsenal now. They probably like living in London getting huge wages but they know they should move if they want to win titles. It's not like they are local lads.

Cash in and get Bony from Stoke. "He cannot get a game," I hear you say. Anyone under 6ft-6in won't get a game for Stoke. Bony would suit our style of play.

Get it into your heads – Rom ain't interested in playing for Everton.

The current situation was completely avoidable and it's those folks within Everton FC that negotiate contracts that really should be held to blame for this situation and not Lukaku and his agent. My opinion is Everton FC negotiating now just allowed Rom's agent the possibility of making extra fees from a contract now and another contract this summer. Hey, It's what agents do!!!

Rom and his agent are just playing up the negotiations in a manner that suits their interest the most. What his agent wants and what Everton FC want are two different things. Heck, there really is a huge difference between a contract being 99.9999999% complete and one that's signed.

Rom's agent would love to sign a contract now if it lines his pockets with cash and allows him the possibility of signing another contract with a Champions League club this summer which would line his pockets again (within a short time span). This might not happen if the release clause is set to high (so it's easy to see why the release clause number is a major stumbling block for a current deal).

My opinion is Everton are getting worked over by an agent who knows exactly what he's doing.

As far as where Lukaku winds up I ,figure it will be a Premier League Club. Rom has proven he can score in the EPL and there are deep pocket teams who can afford the asking price. For Everton FC, the amount of money that will be generated by selling Rom should be higher if he's sold to a Premier League Club.

I believe that Rom counts as a homegrown player and not a foreign player and a team like Manchester City might get interested since they are short on homegrown players. I'm not sure how many homegrown players Chelsea have on their current roster but my point is Rom's value to the EPL teams that might offer Champions League football is greater than teams outside the EPL. (Homegrown players do go for a premium and John Stones was a perfect example of this.)

I'd just like to see Everton FC get the best deal possible since it appears this is the final season Rom will play for Everton. If he wants to go and his contract is down to 2 years, it's time to sell and selling to an EPL club, where Rom counts as a homegrown player, would most likely bring in the highest fee.

Finally, I don't blame Lukaku. He's made it known about his Champions League aspirations in the past and his first touch has gotten enough better to have Champions League Teams interested now where as they were on the fence or not ready to sign Rom in the past. I do think he's ready now and will continue to improve as a player.

He's gotten better each year he's been in the EPL and now, if one of the big money clubs wants to fairly negotiate with Everton FC, then Rom's gone. I just hope that Everton FC invest the money wisely on new players.

Everton are at this point in time a selling club when the big boys come knocking. There's no way Everton can match Champions League Football along with the higher wage scale clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United offer.

It's also fair to note that the time players like Lukaku are considered in their prime is a pretty short time frame. I can't blame Lukaku or his agent from trying to do everything in their power to get what they want and you have to ask yourself if Everton FC is the place where Lukaku can maximize his potential (now and in the future)?

If Lukaku signed a new contract with Everton I wouldn't think he would move for at least another season, that would be a stipulation you would think. And lessons are now being learned in the world of sport especially in football. Agents are now paid on a season basis (the length of the contract his player is at the club).

This is now how clubs are protecting themselves with agent fee's apparently. Instead of getting their fee / cut whatever you want to call it when the deal is done, clubs are now paying agents over the period the player stays at the club.

Overall, the agent would make more money from player's contracts but they are paid on a yearly basis. I was told that by guy who works for Nike.

If we did slap a for sale sign on him, then the value goes down. We need teams prising him out of our grasp.

So it's best to make every noise that we're going to keep him. This means waiting on a replacement until after he leaves. Or maybe do a Liverpool and say to Chelsea, we will take 㿞m and Dembele off Celtic and Chelsea have to sign him and cover all costs for us, we just pick up the wages.

Whether he goes or stays this summer I think Moshiri and the powers that be at Everton need some serious activity in the next transfer window to make a statement to any present players or possible future signings that we're serious about challenging the top 4. No piss-arsing around with aged centre-halves and middling defensive midfielders; if we have to pay over the odds, then let's get this project moving on.

I don't think he will go to another premier league team as even though we are supposed to have one of the toughest leagues in the world, our top teams do not seem as strong as the top teams in the Spanish, German and the Italian leagues.

We all hoped he would stay at Everton, but all players to be successful have to have ambitions, and unless Everton are able to match his ambitions, he will leave. He is not the first player to leave in the belief that his chances of more silverware are with another team, and he will not be the last. So it's up to the Owner and Board of Everton to show with decisive actions what there ambitions are, as although we have got a couple of good players in during the transfer windows, I think we could have done better to have proved it.

Remember even if we get a large transfer fee for him it will not mean that it will be easy to get in another top goalscorer as these so called top teams, as well as Lukaku, will be looking at any top goalscorer.

A good piece, and I agree with you on the whole, the only exception being your defence of Lukaku and his agent's behaviour, which I think is bordering on lying.

Anyway, off agenda, I see by the language you use that you are across the pond? Talking about lying, what do you think of that wanker Trump?

I saw you in that 'Fantastic Beasts' movie, and although it could only be described as a 'bit-part', I thought you looked brilliant at St George's Hall. Killed you off too soon if you ask me. A true Hollywood legend, you are. Did you take in a match whilst you were over filming, or was it 'off season'?

And another thing. That daughter of yours is a bit of a looker isn't she? I wish she hadn't covered herself in all that ink – terrible mistake. Anyway, John, tell her I was asking after her will ya?

ps: Any chance of getting our Tony a part as a villain in your next blockbuster?

Now, Lukaku's current contract ends in July 2019, which means here's with us for at least two more seasons after this one. That takes us to the end of the 3-year initial 'project' phase relevant to Koeman's current contract.

If Everton decide that Lukaku stays for two more seasons, then he stays, it's as simple as that.

Despite all that contractual fact, plus the fact that Lukaku has hardly spoken a word on the topic, we've got Evertonians wanting to get rid of our highest scoring goal machine, on the basis of press reports and soap-opera gossip from 'pundits'.

No wonder the press gets away with what it does. They're allowed to by gullibility and gossip-mongering. At this rate, some Evertonians will be wanting to get rid of all our best players, on the basis of pure media manipulation and gossip.

For some people, welcome to our new era, same as our old era.

I don't have anything to refute what you're saying.

That said, it doesn't make sense to me why Lukaku is so close to signing a new Everton contract (and for 5 years!!! and for 𧴜,000 a week).

I still do think Lukaku's agent is up to something if this deal does get signed. There's got to be more incentive from the Lukaku/His agent side of this in order to get this contract signed in the near term.

What is it that's got Lukaku's agent even listening to an Everton FC offer before the season is over? It can't be 𧴜,000 a week which is maybe half of what Lukaku might get at Manchester United. It can't be Champions League football which Chelsea can offer.

Call me a sceptic, but I don't see this 5-year deal between Lukaku and Everton FC getting done before the season is out and the only way it does happen is if there aren't any big money clubs willing to pay Everton what they figure is fair market value for Lukaku based on the number of years left in his current contract. (I personally think there are Champions League suitors waiting for the summer to try and sign Lukaku.)

It seems to me the person in the driver's seat driving the bus is Lukaku's agent. I can't see 5 years with Everton FC at 𧴜,000 a week getting Lukaku's agent's attention (regardless of the release clause) unless there are extra benefits (like cash) heading the agents way.

"No wonder the press gets away with what it does. They're allowed to by gullibility and gossip-mongering".

Amen to that, Stanley.

There may come a time when people realize things are not always what they seem.

If he did sign this week, was paraded in front of the media at a press conference with all the usual sound bites about being glad his future is sorted so he can concentrate on his football etc. etc., AND THEN was sold this summer regardless, would that not show a much greater level of disrespect?

Just one thought. Could it be possible that Koeman thinks we can score more as a team with a different type of striker?

Also, if his sale was a part of finance ensuring we get a new stadium on the waterfront, would you agree to that strateg? I am not asking whether we should be in that position, just, if we are, what would you do?

We will no doubt finish 7th this year. If Lukaku goes, we will still have a much better squad than 13 or 14 other teams

A semi-decent manager will get us to 7th with or without Lukaku. Who`s to say we won't do better if we buy a couple of creative footballers and played with a bit more adventure?

Lukaku is going through a purple patch, but he still only averages around 15 Prem goals a season. It's absurd to claim those goals can't be replaced with a different approach to the game.

.

Almost as cringeworthy as those saying drop Lukaku and the answer is to play Calvert-Lewin instead.

What exactly has been holding us up from bringing in those needed top quality creative players up to this point? It hasn't been the finance, we've had the money but spent it mostly on defensive midfielders. It's not exactly that easy to just sign up two quality creative players, especially with no forward up top.

Also, his goal tally is going up every year. To say he only averages 15 because it includes his late teens and early 20s is disingenuous and I have to believe you'd agree. It's not his average that counts, it's what he is at the present day. Just as an average doesn't matter when looking at a footballer who is over the hill. What matters is where they are now and what projection they are on. Lukaku is clearly only getting better and is years away from his prime.

It would be a blow to lose him, attacking players of his capability do not grow on trees. Just look at the strikers we've had in the past 30 years and their goal returns and you'll see how difficult it is. I'm sure the same line could have been said about Arteta when he left, we'll get someone else in. We still haven't replaced him in the centre of the park.

The "don't worry" comment is the first salvo to slap Rom and his agent back in their place; the "I'm cool about it and we are in charge" is a clear message to the player, his agent and more importantly any club out there who thinks we'll be a walk over. I am sure Rom has had a definitive offer otherwise he would have sat tight and said nothing.

They'll have to show their hand at some point and I wouldn't be surprised if Everton reaction to the club who have tapped him up will be; "we'll sell him to Accrington Stanley before you, you've just ruled yourself out of the market". That will be one he'll of a message to send out to other clubs.

Does anyone believe for one minute Lukaku will sit in the reserves for 18 months to force the deal through? No chance, he's too interested in his own football development. Thankfully, we can now afford to take this calculated risk.

Bill couldn't do that with the likes of Rooney as the risk of losing any part of a transfer fee was too great. And I understand and agree with bill's approach. We are in a different place now and can afford a calculated risk strategy.

That would imply he's already decided he's off come summer. If that were the case, wouldn't letting his agent come out with the 99.999% thing be even more disrespectful or misleading?

We'll never get to know the real details anyway.

Five minutes flat.

Spotted: Romelu Lukaku miserable with Everton badge amid Chelsea transfer rumours

Sometimes the bigger picture emerges and, to be honest, it is not pretty.

The 㿲 to 㿼 million price tag will put most of Europe's elite right off, because he still has a problem controlling the ball. It could be a long drawn out saga, but then that's nothing new at Everton. By the time he leaves, he could be well past his best, I hope.

I have read a lot of your posts and found quite a lot of the controversial, but this latest prompts me to comment, for a number or reasons.

A. there is a long way to go yet to seal 7th place. Looks like you have sold the bearskin on that, without having shot the bear!

B. Subtract Lukaku's goals from our goals scored and then see where we would sit in the table, vis-à-vis the 13 or 14 teams.

C. Any striker who scores 15 goals or more per season, is considered to be prolific, such is Lukaku.

D. A semi-decent manager will get us to 7th without Lukaku!!!!! Yeah right, there is an embarrassment of talent in our strike force!

How do you know he will get better?

Lukaku has been exceptionally lucky with his health. Do you have any idea what a couple of injuries can do to a player? Look at Vaughanny and big Vic. Neither got anywhere near the level we expected.

If you want to examples of players of Lukaku's class and better, look no further than Michael Owen or Robbie Fowler, both finished through injury and burn-out after been touted as guaranteed goal machines for at least another five years.

My average was not disingenuous, it was an accurate average of what he has scored in three seasons with us. And I will take it over your crystal ball conjecture all day long.

We have not had top class strikers in the past because we simply couldn't afford them; now we can. We have sold better players than Lukaku, David, and yet we are still here.

And another thing: Just because the manager seems hell bent on signing defensive midfield players, it doesn't meant the creative ones are not out there.

We have to keep going, next target is 400 posts.

But as you say, most of the teams currently above us have their own top players. So if Rom goes to his childhood (wow, that must make me old!!) darling of Chelsea, can he expect to play and get their current top scorer sidelined???

Stan - a-ha

Three at the back plus wingbacks. Then may put the cart among the Sky 6.

Just a thought.

Him leaving just a couple of years ago would have been devastating – not so much now though. We might not be world class on the pitch quite yet but we are now world class in our boardroom so if Lukaku moves we have lots of time (and money) to make other arrangements. We don't have to run to the bank, like with the Arteta money, to cover the meat pie bill anymore.

Whichever way it turns out we will be a lot better team next season than we are this season. Everton are on track to succeed precisely because Everton now are bigger than any one player. Best wishes to Lukaku, either with us or wherever he ends up. I kind of think though he will never be happier than the couple of years he has spent playing every game, banging in goals and threatening to leave us.

We are all disloyal, self-serving bastards who could not dream of sticking with a place that helped you become better and contribute to making them better.

Jesus, nearly stumbled into a world of human standards and decency then. How fucking naïve I still am in my mid 50s... Anyway, all Thatcher's fault.

"back of the net" so to speak, as it were, to coin a phrase!

Don't worry about it; he goes, he goes.

Use the money to sign Benteke!

No chance.

The Belgium boss labelled him alongside Lukaku as lampposts. Must say I couldn't wholly disagree. But whereas Lukaku, under Koeman, has realised you need to run around as well, Benteke has always been a static striker. Even Koeman may have his work cut out there.

I doubt Koeman would see him as a replacement anyway.

Because, We are Everton.

If you find that difficult, awkward or offensive then I seriously pity your view of the very, very fine football club that "Alexander The Great, The Golden Vision" held in such high esteem.

We can buy and improve.
We can look to add another dimension to our game.
We can get rid of a hired hand who is unhappy.

It looks good all round to me.

I'd rather he didn't go but the club will survive, especially if the money is invested wisely.

Let me say this once only: Darren Hind is right.

Lukaku hears a distant solitary boo drifting across the Gwladys Street faithful and begins to sulk. The first pass from Ross doesn't quite land within a square inch of his boot and it passes him by. He stutters to a standing stop, feet drawn together and he raises his hands to his face in disbelief and gives us one of his only two expressions.

It's not the one at the top of this thread. It's the mardy arsed one where he looks like he's lost a tenner and found ten bob. A guff of boos start to fart around the ground and he decides there and then to give up the ghost for the day.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch a certain player who doesn't have a locker at the club bangs in a worldy. Someone tell me he's not allowed to play against us?

Plus, wasn't there talk that, due to the poor showing by our Sky darlings in the Championship League, they would be cutting down the number of Premier league teams entering to 3.

None of this is news, and I don't see anything wrong with him wanting to move on – he has ambition, so what?

We've had plenty of goals out of him, and we'll get plenty of money for him – no player stays forever. I understand he's going to be a huge miss for us, but it was always going to happen at some point, and he still has 2 years left on his deal anyway.

Maybe he'll be sold in the summer, and I'll be gutted but I don't see any reason to get the hump over it, or with Lukaku himself. All this throwing your toys out of the pram about players wanting to go to bigger clubs is odd to me – there are plenty of bigger clubs than Everton and I couldn't care less whose club is bigger than whose because I love Everton and that's that.

I'd still love Everton if we played non-league football so all this media-hyped shite about players is a waste of energy to my mind.

I love Lukaku, and I don't want him to leave any more than anyone else, but, at the end of the day, players come & go – there'll be another hero one day.

Like Stones before him, we hold all the cards. If we decide to sell in the summer, we will get north of 㿭M – end of. Like Stones before him, there is no way he will be happy seeing out the last 2 years of his contract on his current wage and not be in Champions League.

He wants out – we don't want him out, so he needs to make it an attractive deal to us. I'm really not surprised at the news – nor am I concerned...

Not sure if this is true but, if it is, he has to be dropped for Saturday.

Also in this season's Europa League, let's hope Man Utd don't win it and finish outside the top 4!!!! Rom can't go there then, can he? :-)

I'm more worried about Ross Barkley as he has 16 months left on his deal and getting to this summer when he will be in the last 12 months of his deal is a very worrying scenario as he is free to talk to clubs from abroad and sign a pre-contract from January.

Generally goes against the Prentice et al modus operandi of previously providing steadfast support for bungling Bill. I wonder if Moshiri has been thrown under a bus with this ?

All press balls maybe - but the content makes one wonder. Is there a hit out on Everton?

Tony @ 342. Very sound comment, mate!

I think it would probably help everyone, if Rom had a mysterious hamstring strain on Saturday. If he hasn't got one, he could always borrow one from James McCarthy!

I say, drain the football swamp, make football great again!!

It's perhaps a kind of amorphous "Club" that's evolved as opposed to a structured conspiracy, but its actions are there to be seen. Everyone instinctively knows their part, and when the opportunity arises, out they come.