Use your head and sign up now for the Everton FC newsletter Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Romelu Lukaku has revealed his frustration with the pace of change at Everton and hinted at the reasons behind his desire to leave in the summer.

The Blues striker rocked the club yesterday by telling them he did not want to sign the new five-year-contract contract which his agent had previously insisted was almost agreed.

Lukaku, 23, reiterated his ambition to play for a Champions League side, and although he knows the Goodison outfit are intent on competing at the level in the future he questioned their ambition in the transfer market over the last two windows.

The Belgium international is currently the Premier League's joint top goalscorer and is enjoying his most prolific campaign on Merseyside since arriving in 2013.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Asked if he can go on to become the best striker in the world, he said: "Definitely. Definitely. But to do that, you need the platform to show yourself.

"Then you are talking about Champions League and whatever types of games. I don’t want to go into details on that but you just follow the path that is in front of you. Whatever type of situation, I just try to deliver.

"I’m close. Close. I’m close. At the minute I am one of the best strikers in the league."

Asked about the level of ambition at Goodison, the 23-year-old said: "You have to have the attitude, you have to. Everton as a football club has a great history right.

"But the future has to be written. You get me?

"Because we always talk about the teams of the 80s and 60s and if you look it was great. But we as players we want the fans talking about us instead of us talking about them. No disrespect but you know what I mean.

"You want to be remembered as well. No matter where you play you want to be remembered.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

"You cannot only be remembered by scoring goals, you want to be remembered by winning trophies at the end of the day.

"So instead of living in the past, you have to think ahead. How this club has to grow, how this club has to improve, which player does it want to bring in so you can challenge for the big trophies.

"Sometimes I will speak to Vincent Kompany who was at City when it all happened. He said, ‘Rom, one summer I just came in and boom, boom, boom, boom… Robinho from there, that guy came in, this guy came in, this guy came in (clicking fingers) and then everyone was criticising them but at the end they won league titles, FA Cup here, League Cups there.

"That is what we want as players.

"I don’t know, I don’t know what the board’s plan is. I don’t really know.

"Obviously stuff is changing and stuff is happening, but like I said there were some players that we could have got. That I knew the club could have got and they didn’t get. And they are playing in this league.

"I am not saying names, but they are doing well.

"It is a little bit frustrating but, at the end of the day, we have fantastic players. We cannot look at the others, we can only look at ourselves. We are the only ones to blame. We cannot blame the fans. We cannot blame the manager."

* Lukaku was speaking as part of his role as a Kick It Out 'Next 20' ambassador, a scheme which sees 20 players from across the Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League help spread the organisation's messages of equality and inclusion.

On Tuesday he met participants from Everton in the Community’s girls pan-disability programme at Finch Farm, and took part in a classroom and coaching session.

Afterwards Lukaku answered questions and signed autographs with the girls.

The Everton in the Community disability programme is all-inclusive with 12 different teams currently competing, available to those with any disability whether that be learning, physical, reduced stature, autism, cerebral palsy, deaf or partially-sighted.

How do you feel about the Lukaku situation? Let us know your feelings in the comments below