Romelu Lukaku will sign a new deal at Everton according to his agent, rejecting calls from Ian Wright to return to Chelsea.

Asked on Monday if Lukaku would sign a new deal, super-agent Mino Raiola said, “Yes,” before adding that the deal  was “99.999” percent close to being done.

“We are signing a longer contract so that is for sure the intention [to stay],” added Raiola.

Lukaku last signed a new deal in 2014, running until 2019 – a five-year-deal. It’s not clear if Raiola means that this deal will be ‘longer’ than that or just a ‘longer’ deal in general.

“In football, contracts are not there to be going until the end sometimes, but there is always two parties in the deal,” he continued.

“If everybody thinks it is better to move on, that will be done at that moment. But for this moment, he is signing a contract with Everton.”

Ian Wright, who hasn’t had much luck with predicting things lately (he caused a drama by saying Wenger would definitely leave at the end of the season only for the boss to say that no decision had been made), said a few weeks ago on the S*nSport podcast, “If I was him I’d actually get in my car and phone the manager on the way down to London!’

“I’m off – I wouldn’t even lock the door.

“This is going to rumble on and if he has to make that decision, he’ll probably leave.”

Just 21 days ago, the Evening Standard were running a piece about how Lukaku wanted to return to Chelsea.  At that point Raiola was saying that a deal with Everton was all but agreed yet the ES still pushed the angle of a move to Chelsea at the end of the season.

I guess it’s not that far-fetched that the player could be signing a new deal so that Everton can protect their considerable investment and recoup the money they’ve already spent on him. However, in addition to these recent comments that seem to rule that out, his agent told talkSPORT at the start of February that this won’t be happening. He added, “There are no problems right now between the player and the club.

“Talks are ongoing. He WILL sign.”

Back in December, Arsene Wenger revealed that he had been interested in the forward before he moved to Chelsea – one of a host of players Wenger considered signing.  “I knew him when he played in Belgium for Anderlecht,” said Wenger.

“He came very early for Chelsea, after that, when a player is at a big London club it’s difficult to get him.”

Lukaku ended up moving to Chelsea in 2014 for £27.5m only to find his chances limited as Jose Mourinho doesn’t know how to nurture talent. He was sold to Everton in 2014 for £30.06m after a successful loan spell there the season before.