Everton are looking to offer a lucrative £135,000 per week wages to Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku in order to stave off interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The Blues have been heavily linked with a move for their former striker this summer and new manager Antonio Conte is thought to be preparing a massive €72m bid for the Everton forward to lure Everton into selling their prized asset.
According to Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror, Toffees have reportedly put a £75m valuation on Lukaku. The player is keen to return to his former club but Everton have no intentions of selling him.
Lewis claims the player is particularly interested in working with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte while the Blues are confident of signing him before the end of the transfer window.
Conte has made it absolutely clear that striker Diego Costa will not be sold in the summer as he remains a vital player for the Blues. Plus, he has also dished out around £33m for the signing of Michy Batshuayi, the Belgium striker, last month to bolster his attacking department. Put it simply, Chelsea do not require another marquee striker unless they ship out Costa, which is looking increasingly unlikely at the moment.
Lukaku has established himself as a proven goalscorer in the Premier League and impressed at Goodison Park since moving to Everton on a permanent deal in 2014.
It will be a remarkable U-turn (quite dramatic if we consider Manchester United’s attempt in bringing Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford) for the 23-year-old should he return to his old club.
Lukaku is still far from the finished article and needs to work on his hold-up play and energy at the point of the attack. With the brand new 2016-17 Premier League campaign only a week away, it will be a huge risk for Everton to agree to sell Lukaku as there aren’t many top strikers available in the market at the moment.
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