Romelu Lukaku tells Everton he will not sign a new contract

Romelu Lukaku is set to spark a summer transfer scramble after telling Everton he will not sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

The 23-year-old’s agent Mino Raiola has insisted Lukaku would put pen to paper on lucrative new terms and claimed he had agreed “99.9%” of the £100,000-a-week deal which would have made him the best paid player in the club’s history.

However, Everton were informed of the player’s wish on Tuesday afternoon following a training session at the club’s Finch Farm training ground.

Raiola recently said there were “no problems right now between the player and the club – he will sign” but the Everton manager Ronald Koeman was more circumspect, adding: “I don’t believe agents.”

The decision is thought to be based around the striker’s ambition to play Champions League football and, despite having two years left on his current contract, will push for a move this summer. After Everton’s 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, he told French television that signing a new deal was not on his mind.

Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with the former Stamford Bridge forward and it now looks likely Everton will have to cash in on the Belgium international.

Chelsea made an inquiry about re-signing Lukaku last summer, but were not prepared to pay Everton’s asking price, while United have been heavily linked with a move for Atlético Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann.

The news will be a crushing blow to Everton, who had hoped to persuade Lukaku to spearhead their European ambitions next season, with the backing of their majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.