Everton manager Ronald Koeman has insisted that he is "not afraid" of the club's contract standoff with star striker Romelu Lukaku.
The 23-year-old had been widely expected to pen a lucrative new five-year contract at Goodison Park this month, with manager Mino Raiola saying that the deal was "99.99999999%" done, but the Belgian is thought to have abandoned talks in recent days as he considers offers from rival clubs.
In an interview published yesterday, Lukaku admitted that he is considering leaving Everton in order to "challenge for the big trophies" and find a club which matches his ambitions.
Asked about Lukaku's comments at a press conference today, Koeman said: "If Everton FC is not a club with a lot of ambition, I wouldn't be the manager. I spoke with Rom this morning, and I know it's difficult but if you are a player, prepare yourself to play good, to score goals. We know he is one of the best and the rest needs to be done by the manager and the board of the club.
"I will speak with the board and then we will see what happens. We have the international break, there's time enough to do what we need to do.
"The first meeting I had with Rom was in the summer. During the season we had several talks about the future. But I'm not so afraid about his situation because the player I think has two years more on his contract. Everybody knows what can happen it football but you need to respect your contract."
Lukaku has found the net 19 times so far this season to rank as the Premier League's joint top scorer alongside Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.
Neil Wilkes
