Lukaku rejects new Everton deal

Romelu Lukaku claims his desire to play in the Champions League and Everton’s failure to attract top-class players have convinced him not to sign a new contract with the Premier League club.

Lukaku, who is the joint top scorer in the Premier League with 19 goals, has told Everton he will not sign a new deal even though it would have made him the club’s first £100 000-plus-a-week player.

Everton is still hoping to convince its star to agree to an extended deal, but the 23-year-old Belgian striker appears determined to force a transfer to a bigger club.

“To do that, you need the platform to show yourself,” he said when asked about his desire to be ranked with the world’s best forwards.

“Then you are talking about Champions League and whatever types of games. I don’t want to go into details on that but you just follow the path that is in front of you. Whatever type of situation, I just try to deliver. But as a team you want to be the best. I want my team to be the best,” he said.

“The big aim in football is to win as many titles as you can, so we need to try more, give a bit more.

“Everton has a great history. But the future has to be written. Because we always talk about the teams of the Eighties and Seventies and if you look it was great. But we as players we want the fans talking about us instead of us talking about them.”

Everton splashed out on Morgan Schneiderlin and Yannick Bolasie earlier this season, but Lukaku believes there needs to be a bigger influx of top players. — AFP