According to Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O’Connor, via the Daily Express, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku is still keen to leave the club despite their impressive early transfer business.
The Toffees signed Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Ajax captain Davy Klaassen on Thursday, with forwards Sandro Ramirez and M’Baye Niang rumoured to be joining them at Goodison Park.
However, O’Connor told Sky Sports: "I think there is an expectation here that certainly Romelu Lukaku is still destined to leave Everton Football Club.”
It remains to be seen what fee it will take to prise the prolific 24-year-old away from Goodison Park considering he scored 25 Premier League goals last season and has two years left on his contract, but the Merseyside outfit certainly aren’t willing to sell him on the cheap.
If manager Ronald Koeman has accepted that the Belgium international will leave if an interested club submits an acceptable offer, then the Dutchman will already be looking for suitable replacements for what will be big boots to fill.
Here are five Lukaku replacements Everton should sign this summer…
Moussa Dembele
There certainly would have been a few Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on Dembele when the then 19-year-old scored 17 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions for Championship outfit in the 2015/16 campaign, but it was Celtic that took a punt on him last summer.
He has been a huge hit for the Bhoys after netting 32 goals and providing a further nine assists in 49 outings last season, and he certainly looks to have the potential to be a hit in the Premier League too.
Kasper Dolberg
The 19-year-old only made his first team debut for Ajax in August but his performances and goalscoring record since suggest he is set to move on to bigger and better things.
The Denmark international – who has three caps for his country – scored 23 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions for the Dutch giants, as well as picking up eight assists, and he helped his side reach the Europa League final.
While he probably wouldn’t come cheap, the fact that Everton have already signed Davy Klaassen from Ajax this summer could make negotiations smoother.
Michy Batshuayi
Big things would have been expected of the Belgian after he completed a £33m to Chelsea from Marseille last summer following a prolific season in Ligue 1, but it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for the 23-year-old.
Batshuayi made just one start in the Premier League and the majority of his 28 appearances in all competitions were cameos from the substitutes’ bench.
But despite his disappointments, he showed his potential to make an impact in England by scoring five league goals in just 235 minutes on the pitch – a rate of one goal every 47 minutes.
Kelechi Iheanacho
Having made an impressive breakthrough in the 2015/16 season by scoring 14 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City, many would have predicted that the Nigerian had a huge future at the club.
Pep Guardiola’s arrival last summer changed that though and the 20-year-old quickly found himself behind Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero in the pecking order, and they are ready to let him leave for £25m this summer according to the Manchester Evening News.
The attacker has shown his finishing prowess and the ability to be in the right place at the right time that any goalscorer needs, and he would be a decent addition for Everton.
Duvan Zapata
Our final option is Zapata, who is a Napoli player but has spent the last two seasons on loan at Serie A rivals Udinese.
The 26-year-old has impressed though and looks to have the physical presence to match Lukaku and ensure that he would be a success in the Premier League.
The Colombia international has scored 19 goals in 65 appearances in all competitions for Udinese which perhaps isn’t the most prolific, but if Everton have more goals from all over the team it wouldn’t matter.
Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.