Will Everton be able to keep Lukaku beyond this summer?

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  • Hitman: Lukaku is enjoying his most prolific season in front of goal.

    What do you make of today’s debate and which side of the fence are you on?

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    MATT MONAGHAN, Reporter, SAYS YES

    For the first time in a generation, the future is looking undoubtedly bright for Everton.  A new billionaire investor, Farhad Moshiri,  has changed the landscape on Merseyside after years of stasis, making a summer exit for star striker Romelu Lukaku implausible rather than inevitable.

    Moshiri’s introductory words in Saturday’s programme that he was committed to “retaining our key players” should be taken seriously. And no-one is more vital than the Belgium international.

    Lukaku, 22, is the standout young centre forward in world football. His schadenfreude-laden brace against former employers Chelsea during this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final added to a burgeoning reputation.

    This pair took him onto an outstanding  61 goals in 117 games for the Toffees.

    Such form would have previously made a big-money switch to suitors such as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Juventus guaranteed. But such a scenario is no longer the case.

    Financially, the club are finally able to turn down all approaches. And on the pitch, there should be enough to satisfy his ambitions.

    Lukaku is the gem in a youthful squad which contains England hopes Ross Barkley and John Stones, plus Spanish flyer Gerard Deulofeu. Although results in the Premier League have disappointed this term, boss Roberto Martinez has the team playing some of the most exciting football in Europe.

    The question Lukaku has to ask is if he would get the same supply elsewhere? Also, how much has he been affected by his experience at Chelsea? Would a move to a ‘big club’ be as alluring as before?

    Silverware cannot also be discounted. Success in this season’s FA Cup is a real possibility now they are in the last four, with this potentially being the starting point for a new era.

    Moshiri – valued at $1.93 billion by Forbes in 2015 – makes them upwardly mobile. His plans include aggressive investment and a solution to the long-running stadium saga. The emergence of the Iranian adds a key angle to the Lukaku pursuit. Is a high-profile sale of Everton’s leading man really going to be one of his first acts?

    ALEX REA, Reporter, SAYS NO

    When Chelsea carry out their end-of-season postmortem, one point for examination will surely be a transfer policy that rubber stamped Romelu Lukaku’s sale.

    The Belgium international poignantly epitomised everything they lack right now in his two-goal display on Saturday.Power, precision, aggression and skill.

    When they deemed him not good enough for Stamford Bridge, Diego Costa was seen as the upgrade. Is that still the standpoint? He didn’t just demonstrate Chelsea’s deficiencies but that of most Premier League teams and arguably Europe’s elite, too. At just 22, he is a remarkably consistent goalscorer, plundering 119 club goals in 268 appearances.

    That points to two things: an eye for goal and the ability to stay fit enough to see it through on a regular basis.

    Only five names sit above him in the all-time list of top-scoring players under the age of 23: Ronaldo (194), Neymar (170), Raul (145), Lionel Messi (172) and Sergio Aguero (124). An elite group but, with all due respect to Everton, while his name doesn’t stick out, his club does.

    This summer should see that change. Many will use the John Stones transfer scenario as a legitimate case for Everton’s willpower when faced with football’s financial powerhouses.

    But this is a different narrative entirely. Champions League, for an ambitious striker and one who has previously stated his desire to play “at the highest level”, is paramount. Everton may well challenge the top four next season with the cash injection from new billionaire investor Farhad Moshiri.

    But at this stage that’s an embryonic target and if one thing has been clear about Lukaku, it’s that he’s broken that ‘potential’ tag and developed into a complete forward. He and the club are on a different page. Then, look at the teams who will be in the market for a striker and the picture becomes even bleaker for Everton.

    Manchester United will spend again and Paris Saint-Germain will be searching for their new Zlatan Ibrahimovic. You can add Manchester City and Real Madrid into the mix, too. It all means that this summer it will be Lukaku who is the one looking for an upgrade.

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