Roberto Martinez insists that Everton should not be fazed at the prospect of losing Romelu Lukaku this summer.
Lukaku appears increasingly destined to leave Goodison Park after revealing his desire to play in the Champions League next season, while the Blues striker’s agent Mino Raiola has tipped Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain as potential suitors.
But Martinez insists that the likely departure of the Belgium international is not a cause for concern, citing the recent arrival of Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri as the club’s new majority shareholder as justification that Everton can compete financially with their traditionally bigger peers.
He said: “It’s not unsettling at all because that should be the aspiration of everyone here, wanting to be best you can and be in the best competition.
“We have that at Everton; we want to be competing to win titles. We’ve been in one semi-final, now we’re in another. We want a good momentum and players need to be part of it. We need ambitious players who can carry our expectations.
“We shouldn’t be afraid about losing players because financially we can compete against anyone in world football. Things have changed radically in that respect. In the last six windows we have become stronger and have made a more talented squad.
“That’s what we are going to carry on doing. We will speak about individual situations at the end of the season but we should not fear losing anyone because we can compete financially against anyone. To play for Everton should be an honour and a privilege.”