Report Claims Everton Asked Chelsea for £50m Plus Two Players for Romelu Lukaku

A report in Belgian magazine Foot has revealed that Everton asked Chelsea for £50m plus two players to sign Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgium international eventually signed for Manchester United for £75m, but had originally appeared likely to move to Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku was ultimately persuaded that joining the Red Devils and teaming up with Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba was the better option.

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But he may have found himself at Chelsea had Everton's demands been slightly less extortionate.

The Toffees reportedly demanded that they receive £50m, plus Michy Batshuayi and Bertrand Traoré, for Lukaku.

Chelsea turned down the offer, however, with Antonio Conte reluctant to allow Batshuayi to leave the club.

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The Blues reluctance meant that Lukaku's notorious super-agent Mino Raiola orchestrated a move to United, the details of which were revealed in Foot.

"A little more than two weeks before joining United, Lukaku learns that Raiola never caught up with Chelsea and feels cheated," the extract in Foot reads. 

"The Italian-Dutch agent then asked Paul Pogba to connect the violins. 'A very common practice,' says an important agent of the environment.

"The two friends find themselves on vacation on the heights of Los Angeles in a majestic villa chartered by Raiola (he would even own according to some rumours). Rafaela Pimenta, Brazilian lawyer of Raiola and confidante of Pogba, is also present in Los Angeles. It is she who will stage the formalisation of the transfer via the Instagram account of Pogba."

Everton are still believed to be searching for a replacement for Lukaku as the transfer window reaches its conclusion.