Champions League football can tempt Romelu Lukaku to stay at Everton
* Roberto Martínez given no indication Chelsea want to sell
* No chance of making loan deal permanent in this window
Everton require Champions League football to tempt Romelu Lukaku into a permanent move to Goodison Park but have had no indication that Chelsea want to sell, according to Roberto Martínez.
The Everton manager rates the 20-year-old "as one of the best strikers in European football", having witnessed at close quarters the ability that prompted Chelsea to pay an initial £12m to sign the striker from Anderlecht in 2011.
Martínez is keen to strengthen his attack and could hijack West Ham United's loan move for the Monaco striker Lacina Traoré.
Lukaku's nine goals and all-round contribution have been a key factor in Everton's Champions League challenge under Martínez and the Belgium international has settled well on Merseyside. He has also been on the receiving end of barbed comments from José Mourinho over the manner of his loan move to Goodison on transfer deadline day.
Martínez, however, says there is no possibility of making Lukaku's loan move permanent in this transfer window. With the centre-forward keen to make his mark at Stamford Bridge and likely to have several options available to him in the summer, the Everton manager admits it would take Champions League qualification to keep Lukaku on a long-term basis.
"It's not in the agreement [to discuss a January transfer]," he said. "The agreement we have with Chelsea is that we will wait until the end of the season and as parent club they need to be the ones that give us the hint if it's possible or not. We want to keep Rom as long as we can but the reality is he's on loan for the season and Chelsea are not contemplating that .
"Rom is enjoying his football. He knows he's here until the end of the season and I don't think it would be beneficial to anyone to go into a conversation that's not going to change the agreement we have until May. I know Chelsea are not contemplating listening to any offers."
Everton are currently fifth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool, having lost only two matches all season. And Martínez admits a top-four finish would transform Everton's outlook in the transfer market this summer.
The manager added: "Rom is just focused on developing this season, being as good as he can be and trying to take Everton into the Champions League. That's always in his head. I'm sure as a club we have a better chance of attracting players like Rom if we are in the Champions League than not. In my eyes we need to get into the Champions League to attract players like him.
"He's loving his time at Everton, he's enjoying being at Goodison and his relationship with the fans. But Rom will have many opportunities as you'd expect and as a club we need to be able to offer something to Rom that is unique. The experience he's having here is a great advantage but we need to be able to offer Champions League football."
Martínez has added Aiden McGeady to his squad in this window and allowed Nikica Jelavic to join Hull City, leaving Lukaku as Everton's only recognised striker with Arouna Koné out until late April with a knee injury. "We want another striker in to help Rom, not to replace him, but someone who can play alongside him too," the manager said. "It would be a big mistake to bring in a player just in a supporting role to Rom. I don't see it that way."
Source: Guardian
