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14th Mar 2017

Jamie Carragher can’t resist a joke as Romelu Lukaku rejects new Everton contract

Vintage Carragher

Robert Redmond

Carragher just couldn’t resist.

Romelu Lukaku has told Everton he won’t sign a new deal with the club, according to several reports.

Everton were said to have offered the striker the most lucrative deal in the history of the club, worth around £140,000 a week.

However, the 23-year-old rejected the five-year deal, despite his agent Mino Raiola recently saying he was “99.9 percent” certain Lukaku would sign a new contract at Goodison Park.

Lukaku, who has two years remaining on his current deal, reportedly turned down the offer as he wants to play Champions League football.

The striker has scored 81 goals in 156 appearances for the Toffees. He joined the club from Chelsea in 2013 initially on-loan, before signing permanently the following summer for £28m.

If Lukaku leaves, it’ll be a big blow to Ronald Koeman’s side. The Belgian would command a hefty transfer fee, but it’ll be difficult to replace a striker who has 20 goals in 29 games already this season.

Everton fans also had salt rubbed into their wounds by a Liverpool legend.

Carragher, a boyhood Evertonian, jokingly took credit for Lukaku reportedly wanting to leave the Toffees.

The Sky Sports pundit recently filmed a segment with the striker at Everton’s training ground.

And joked that he put a word in with Lukaku about leaving the club:

“I knew putting the Everton training kit on and going to the training ground to have a word with him would be worth it!” he tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

At least we think Carragher was joking.

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