Lukaku turned down Juventus move to stay with Everton

Romelu Lukaku says he spurned the opportunity to join Juventus this summer, opting instead to remain with Everton despite the Toffees' inability to qualify for Europe.

Lukaku, 23, has made his desire to play Champions League football abundantly clear. In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad however, the hulking attacker said he informed manager Ronald Koeman that he would be remaining at Goodison Park this season because it wasn't the right time for a switch to Serie A.

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"It stings a little (not being in European competition), but I'm someone who believes that everything happens for a reason," Lukaku said, in quotes reported by Sky Sports.

"Otherwise, I would have gone to Juventus instead of staying at Everton. But I opted for Everton because it was too early for Italy and I have not done badly here."

Lukaku, much-maligned despite his impressive scoring record, found the net 18 times in the Premier League last season.

He hopes to improve on that total under the tutelage of Koeman.

"Now we have a new coach and it is completely different than with Mr. Martinez, but I think we can make progress under Ronald Koeman. It may be the last step and then look further.

"I knew of the interest of a few clubs, it was quickly very clear that Everton would not let me go. It was important to me that I remained calm, and I did.

"I said to myself that I will do my best, and who knows what will happen in the future."

In the immediate future, Lukaku will be hoping to open his account for the season on Monday, when Everton meets Sunderland.