According to reports in The Sun, Everton are lining up a £50m move for La Liga duo Cedric Bakambu and Willian Jose should contract rebel Romelu Lukaku leave Goodison Park this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, with the Belgian’s future with the Toffees in doubt after he told them that he wouldn’t sign a new deal because he wants to play Champions League football, it means that the Merseyside outfit have had to start looking for potential replacements should the worst happen this summer.

That has led them to be linked with Villarreal’s Cedric Bakambu and Real Sociedad’s Willian Jose.

Who?

The duo have become two of the most highly-rated attackers in Spanish football over the course of the last couple of seasons.

While Bakambu has struggled for goals this term – he has just four all season – he netted 22 in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine in 2015/16.

Meanwhile, Jose is one of the main reasons Sociedad are flying so high in sixth in the La Liga table with the 25-year-old notching nine goals in 20 league appearances.

Could they effectively replace Lukaku?

It’s difficult to replace a player that has scored 21 top flight goals already this season, and is Everton’s all-time Premier League record goalscorer despite only being in his fourth campaign with the club.

While both players have shown decent pedigree during the last couple of seasons, they would usually take some time to adapt to the English game and becoming a prolific goalscorer might not be easy.

That said, when you look at the impact Manolo Gabbiadini has made at Southampton having never played in the Premier League before, you know that it is possible.

Would they really cost £50m?

Probably, yes.

The duo have both become vital players for their respective teams and if Everton do sell and receive a huge fee for Lukaku this summer, the clubs that the Toffees approach for his replacement will know that they can demand big bucks for their players.