Lukaku stunned Everton last week by telling the club he will not sign a new contract

Romelu Lukaku has already regaled everyone with the strikers he regards as the best on the planet or, as he succinctly put it, “[Luis] Suarez, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Karim] Benzema, [Edinson] Cavani. That’s it. I’m not looking at the rest. No chance.”

So, it would be interesting if he ever reels off the names of his toughest opponent. Perhaps Vincent Kompany and John Terry would feature. What about Farhad Moshiri?

Everton turned down a £70 million bid from Chelsea last summer for Lukaku with Moshiri newly ensconced at Goodison Park as the club’s major shareholder. Almost 12 months on, there is no suggestion the Iranian billionaire is about to roll over and wave the forward through the exit door despite his apparent eagerness to move on.