Lukaku Wants Chelsea Return to Play Champions League Football

Romelu Lukaku, currently on a season-long loan at Everton, is looking forward to returning to Chelsea at the end of the season as he claims that he is ready to play in the Champions League.

Despite scoring 17 Premier League goals last season at West Bromwich Albion, he asked Jose Mourinho to let him go on loan again to Everton, where he has again impressed during the first part of the season, scoring nine goals and grabbing six assists in 21 Premier League games.

Lukaku believes that he has proved he is ready to return to the current Premier League leaders, although he knows that Mourinho will have the final decision over his future.

"I'm turning 21, I've been a professional for five years already. It is high time that I play in the Champions League. It is the next step I need in my development." he said in an interview with Belgian newsaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

"I still have two years on my contract and I know Chelsea follow my development. In the end it depends on what the manager thinks about me.

"Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were experienced already at that level when they were just 23-24 years old. I want to play Champions League football now. I must now show I'm ready for it."

Asked about why he asked Mourinho to let him go to Everton on loan on deadline day last summer he said: "After the season I had at West Brom it was important that as a young player I kept developing. That means to play.

"To me there is difference between playing in 20 or 45 matches a season and scoring 10 or 20 goals. Mourinho eventually understood that.

"If I can be better than I was last season, what is then holding me back? Then it will be time to play Champions League football, which is what I want to do."

At the same time, Lukaku claims that his performance in the World Cup will be crucial to show he is ready to play at Chelsea.

"You must not go there [to Brazil] to play for yourself, to try and force a transfer but to work for the team. The World Cup is our opportunity to show the world we have good players and a good team."