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Landon Donovan will make an emotional return to Everton for a THIRD time when he signs a short-term deal in January.

Talks are at an advanced stage with the United States international, after he admitted he is desperate to go back to Goodison, to hone his fitness ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

The forward was a massive hit in his two previous spells with the Blues , in 2010 and 2012, during loan agreements with LA Galaxy.

Donovan has finished his current season with Galaxy after the west-coast club were knocked out of the MLS play-offs at the semi-final stage.

And with an eye on the World Cup, he is ready to commit to a deal that would see him play at least 10 weeks at Goodison, allowing him to maintain his form before the finals in Brazil next summer.

Speaking recently, the veteran forward, who is regarded as the United States’ greatest ever player, admitted that he would dearly cherish one last return to Everton.

“I would absolutely love to go back - and there’s no doubt I will at some point. I miss the people. I miss the players a lot, and I miss just the positive energy of the fans walking into the stadium and how much they care about that club and the team,” he said.

Donovan is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up in the play-offs that forced him to miss the last two games for the USA, but he will be ready to play by January.

The American season will kick off as usual in March, meaning he would have to return to LA then, unless they agreed to an extension of his loan with a World Cup imminent.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez meanwhile, has admitted he has no chance of signing star striker Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal.

The Chelsea forward’s goals have catapulted the Blues into the mix for the Champions’ League spot , and his return to Stamford Bridge would be a devastating blow to a club that have struggled to challenge for the top four because of a lack of firepower.

(Image: Action images)

But Martinez is confident that he can find a replacement for Lukaku - even if he is vitally important to this season’s ambitions.

“Every time I speak to Chelsea they rate Romelu really highly, and I think that’s always been the case. They made a massive investment on a player they always felt was going to take three, four, five years to be ready for them,” he said.

“He’s important to us, but unfortunately in the modern game the best performers are more likely to move on - you need to be constantly looking at how to keep the squad at the same level even if you have to always change with players.

“We’ll find another one, don’t worry. Everton didn’t have Romelu last season and did well without him. I think it’s always finding the way. That doesn’t worry me. We have a good recruitment department at the club and that’s where you need to be good at assembling squads together.”

Everton will be without Leighton Baines for the visit of Stoke, with veteran Tony Hibbert likely to step up in his place.