Everton are planning to offer Romelu Lukaku a new five-year-contract, worth about £140,000-a-week, which will make him the highest-paid player at the Merseyside club. Mino Raiola, Lukaku’s agent, has revealed that the player will sign a new deal with Everton, and the agreement is set to be announced by the club in the coming days. “I think he will sign it, yes,” said Raiola, as quoted by The Times. “It is a great show of faith from Romelu to Everton, but also a great show of faith from the club to him.”

According to reports, Everton blocked a transfer approach for Lukaku from Chelsea last summer. It was around that time that discussions on a new deal had started. Back in August, we reported that Chelsea had been preparing a massive €72m bid for the Everton forward. Lukaku was keen to return to his former club, but Everton had no intention of selling him. The lucrative deal doubles Lukaku’s earnings, and it is highly deserved. The Belgian has not only established himself as a key player for Everton, but has also emerged as one of Europe’s best marksmen.

The 23-year-old has scored 18 Premier League goals this season, and his 61 goals tally makes him Everton’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League era. The Belgium international joined Everton permanently in 2014 from Chelsea for £28m. He has two years remaining on his current deal. Lukaku has expressed his desire to play for a top European club, and it remains to be seen how long he stays at the Goodison Park if Everton fail to match up to his aspirations. We have seen in the past that players often sign a long term contract to facilitate a big money move elsewhere. The club reap the financial benefit, and in this case, Everton would command a fee in the region of £75m for the Belgian striker.