Lukaku close to new Everton deal but future open, says Raiola
Everton are close to sealing a contract extension for Romelu Lukaku but Mino Raiola insists his client could still move after this season.
Romelu Lukaku will assess his Everton future at the end of the season despite agreeing "99.9 per cent" of terms on a new contract, according to his agent Mino Raiola.
Lukaku has nine goals in 16 Premier League appearances for Everton this term and has two-and-a-half years to run on his current deal, which he signed when he joined as the club's record signing from Chelsea in July 2014.
The 23-year-old Belgium international has been in talks with the Goodison Park club over a renewal throughout the present campaign and Raiola insists he will keep his client's options open irrespective of how the negotiations progress.
"We are talking to the club in a good spirit so we are very hopeful," he told talkSPORT. "I don't see any big problems. It is a question of putting the details on the paper.
"With Everton, we have 99.9 per cent reached terms. If Romelu is good enough, strong enough, to move in the next year then we will talk to Everton about it."
Lukaku's desire to play Champions League football was well documented as he was linked to the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich earlier this year and Raiola has not ruled out achieving those ambitions at Everton under majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
"It is a very good relationship at the moment. We know what both parties want," Raiola added.
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"Everton is going through a transition from a club that was maybe aiming for Europa League and now they are more ambitious and maybe in the near future will go into the Champions League, or maybe even win the Premier League at a certain stage. For sure, it is an interesting club in England.
"In football, you can't look too much in front. You need to take it one transfer window at a time. For now, we are agreeing terms and then we will see in the summer what happens and how the situation is.
"If there is an interest from both parties to move on, then we will talk with the club, but at this point we only have one objective and that is to perform as well as possible for Everton."