Reports are growing this morning that Romelu Lukaku is in Paris speaking with representatives of the Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
The striker has just finished his year long loan at Inter Milan and unless a new taker is found, will return to Chelsea for preaseason in a matter of weeks. That’s not what he wants, and not what the club wants.
The Belgian still has a lot to give, and won’t want to move to a Saudi team like this – but he’s been painted into a corner by his huge wages and the transfer fee which Chelsea lavished on his signing two years ago.
🚨🇸🇦 Romelu #Lukaku est bien à Paris pour négocier une proposition d’#AlHilal. Le président Saad bin Nafel s’est déplacé en personne pour convaincre notre #DiablesRouges qui a demandé 80M/an. Ces discussions se poursuivent aujourd’hui.🤝 @Santi_J_FM pic.twitter.com/0vZP5ZIJS1
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) June 13, 2023
A Saudi escape hatch could save everyone here, if Lukaku is willing to accept it.
Sacha Tavolieri reports that the striker has asked for €80m a year salary, which would certainly be enough to convince most people, especially if the alternative is another awkward season at Chelsea where you’ve burned your bridges.
Perhaps this emergence of the Saudi league has come just at the right time to save Chelsea from their mistakes of the last few years. What will be interesting is what kind of transfer fee they ask for from Al Hilal, the team most closely linked with Lukaku as it stands. Will they try and fleece them, knowing they have so much money to spend, or will they be reasonable and know that the real saving is just getting him off the books this summer?
