Romelu Lukaku can become one of the all-time Premier League great strikers

Romelu Lukaku has thirteen league goals in the Premier League already this season, but can the forward become one of the elite EPL players?

After a whirlwind start to the season Romelu Lukaku has already cemented himself as one of the best players in the 2015-16 Barclays Premier League campaign.

The Belgian international has found the net 13 times for Everton already in league games alone and is currently on a seven-game scoring streak which could see him challenge the recent 11-game record set by Jamie Vardy.

The 22-year-old’s go-ahead goal for Everton against Leicester City this weekend would register as his fifty-fifth in the English top flight – a record which puts him sixty-ninth in the overall standings.

While that position might not sound all that impressive, it’s startling to consider that aged just 22 Lukaku could very well still enjoy a further nine, ten or even eleven seasons at the top of his game.

Those years will offer the former Chelsea and West Brom man ample opportunity to add further to his already illustrious tally, as he slowly claws his way towards the upper echelons of the charts.

But can the prolific forward maintain this sort of form?

While it’s certainly not always the case that goal-scoring form remains consistent across seasons (just look at Eden Hazard and Diego Costa this semester for proof of that), in Lukaku’s case the numbers don’t lie.

So far in four seasons playing in the Premier League the forward has yet to fail to score double figures in a single campaign – with his worst effort coming during Everton’s disastrous outing last year, when he registered just the ten.

Even in what was an atrocious year for the Toffees, Lukaku would stand out as the best source for finishing chances – with the Belgian arguably making the difference between their eventual mid-table finish and potential relegation.

This time around the striker is already three goals clear of that tally – and needs just the four more to match his best ever effort in England, coming during his loan spell at West Bromwich Albion.

With Lukaku managing to clinch double figures even when both he and the rest of his cohorts at Goodison Park were faltering, it only stands to reason that the 22-year-old can continue to flourish on a goal-scoring front as his career progresses.

The real stumbling block for legendary status in the Premier League comes in the form of his nationality.

While Belgian players have made the EPL something of a second home in recent seasons, the fact that Lukaku is not himself an Englishman makes a potential move away from England – to say La Liga or Serie A – far more likely than if he was a native.

With Everton a club who have become somewhat infamous for failing to hold onto their best players in recent seasons, it’s hard to envisage Lukaku remaining there for more than a year or two if this world class form persists.

So then, where does that leave his push for all-time EPL greatness? The answer to that depends heavily on the needs of the Premier League big boys.

In the modern era of ludicrous transfer prices and big-name flops, Lukaku stands out to the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United as a golden transfer target – a striker with the proven ability to score league goals at an English side.

If any of those four clubs need a striker in the impending future, Lukaku may well be the answer to their prayers.

This January alone both Manchester United and former club Chelsea have made it clear that they are in need of a new goal-getter, with the Belgian no doubt high on both clubs’ wish lists.

So, can Lukaku finish his career as one of the highest ever Premier League goal-scorers? Yes; but for that to happen he will need to link up with one of the big boys in the coming seasons.

As for the here and now, the Everton man will look to extend his already incredible goal-scoring form this year when his side takes on Newcastle on Boxing Day.