Lukaku rules out Manchester United move as 'he doesn't want to work with Jose Mourinho'

Everton are hopeful of keeping Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park next season, with sources telling Yahoo Sport that the striker would not be interested in a move to Manchester United this summer.

Lukaku has stated publicly that he would consider a move away from Everton this summer and hinted that he will not sign a new contract with the Goodison Park club.

With two years left on his current deal, Everton are in a strong bargaining position if club’s look to sign their leading scorer, with Toffees boss Ronald Koeman assured he will not need to sell any players this summer as they club are in a strong financial position.

READ MORE: Gossip – Spurs ‘to re-sign Sigurdsson’, United ‘want Matic’, Chelsea ‘swoop for Sanchez’

READ MORE: How missing out on the Champions League would cost Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City

“I expect that Lukaku will stay because until now I did not hear anything from the board that one club is asking about Lukaku,” Koeman told reporters ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match at Arsenal.

“You like to keep your best striker, your top scorer, but we also need around that position more productivity.

“Romelu has two years more on his contract. If there is interest in him then the board will know and they will come to the club if they have interest in the player. That is like everybody.”

However, Lukaku’s future at Everton remains in doubt, with the Belgian striker keen to move to a club playing Champions League football and also determined to try and force through a big-money move back to his former club Chelsea.

Yahoo Sport understands that Lukaku has ‘set his heart’ on a return to Stamford Bridge, but the links with Manchester United may be wide of the mark as we are told he would have reservations working once again with United manager Jose Mourinho.

READ MORE: Conte names the player most likely to succeed John Terry as Chelsea captain

READ MORE: Conte ‘won’t stay another year at Chelsea without his family in London’

Lukaku and Mourinho had a fractious relationship at Chelsea before the striker was sold to Everton for £28m in 2014 and while United has been mentioned as a possible location for the striker this summer, that move is highly unlikely to become a reality.

Obstacle

Instead, Lukaku and his agent Mino Raiola are working on a deal to take the player back to Stamford Bridge, with the £60m price tag – more than double the fee Chelsea received for selling the player two years ago – not an obstacle to a potential sale.

Koeman is expected to offer an update on the future of his midfielder Ross Barkley after his side’s final Premier League game of the season against Arsenal on Sunday, with the England star expected to leave the club this summer.

While Everton are prepared to let Barkley leave for the right price, they are determined to do all they can to keep Lukaku, with a big summer of spending planned by boss Koeman that they hope will encourage their leading marksman to stay.

Koeman has guided Everton back into the Europa League after a seventh place finish in the Premier League, with the Merseyside club determined to close the gap on the six teams ahead of them with an expansive recruitment programme ahead of next season.