Everton's Lukaku admits desire to play in Champions League

If Everton striker Romelu Lukaku does end up leaving the Merseyside club in the summer, he doesn't want to depart on poor terms, but the 22-year-old has designs on playing in the Champions League, and isn't afraid to admit it.

"I'm 23 this summer. I have been playing (professionally) since I was 16 and never had a taste of the Champions League," Lukaku said in an interview with the Guardian's Andy Hunter. "It is going to be seven years. You think about it."

Lukaku isn't in the mood to hide his frustration with Everton's performances this season. Despite scoring twice against former club Chelsea to book a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend, the Belgium international sees the season as a missed opportunity.

Related - VIDEO: Lukaku humiliates Chelsea defence, scores on brilliant solo effort

"With all the qualities that we have, we should at least have been in the top four this year because of how the league is," said Lukaku.

Instead, Everton is stuck in 12th place, 11 points outside of a European spot.

Reports over the past few months have linked Lukaku with big-money moves to Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid. He says he isn't looking that far ahead - he has Everton's Premier League run-in, a trip to Wembley, and Euro 2016 to concern himself with - but if the time comes, he wants all parties to benefit from it.

"If something happens, it will be for the good of the club," he said. "I don't want to leave in a fight, if it happens. I won't say this or that, it is going to be good for me personally and for the club. They were the ones who believed in me at a time when nobody believed in me and they gave me a platform to perform.

"I have tried to repay them by doing good performances, but I have an agent who deals with the interest. I do not want to be bothered with it. I just want to play my football."

Lukaku has scored 25 times across all competitions this season, the second consecutive campaign in which he has surpassed the 20-goal mark. It is indeed some kind of compensation for the record £28-million fee Everton paid to take the player on a permanent transfer from Chelsea.

The team as a whole just hasn't met his standards.

"Everybody has improved, Ross (Barkley) has improved, but results? It has been two years of underperforming. As bad as that sounds, it is the truth.

"We have 10 games to go, the semi-final of the Cup - just go for it, boys!"