A year ago, the thought of Everton holding all the cards in the transfer market would have been a ludicrous one.
The Toffees new lease of life – or more specifically, their recently-invested funds – means they can no longer be bullied by the Premier League’s big boys, not even Chelsea or Manchester City.
Chelsea are confident of re-signing striker Romelu Lukaku, but according to the Mirror, Everton have knocked back a bid of £57million.
That already sounds like crazy money for the 23-year-old, who hit a massive slump in form towards the end of last season, missing a crucial penalty as his side crashed out of the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United.
But in fact, the Blues are hoping to make £75million on the Belgian.
Antonio Conte might be keen on Lukaku, but surely even the Chelsea manager would have to think twice about whether that kind of price tag can be justified.
If the stalemate can’t be resolved, then Ronald Koeman could have a very unhappy forward on his hands next season. It’s clear he wants to leave Merseyside, but with that asking price, it’s unlikely too many clubs are going to come calling.
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