Chelsea & Saudi Arabia set to agree deal on £50m Chelsea man
Romelu Lukaku’s loan stint at AS Roma is expected to end this summer, and Chelsea is apparently hoping to sell him to the Saudi Pro League.
After losing favor at Stamford Bridge due to a contentious interview with Sky Italia in which he stated his wish to return to Inter Milan only months after joining Chelsea, Lukaku, 30, has spent the last two seasons on loan in Serie A.
Although Chelsea hopes to sell Lukaku to Saudi Arabia if the opportunity arises, Mauricio Pochettiono has refused to rule out the idea of the Belgium international rejoining the first squad next season.
That is according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, who told CaughtOffside: “Chelsea are naturally open to doing more business with Saudi, and they will gladly sell Romelu Lukaku to a Saudi Pro League club.
“Al-Hilal had a €45 million offer accepted last summer but Lukaku wanted to stay in Italy. Al-Hilal now have other targets, but keep an eye on both Al-Shabab and soon-to-be promoted Al-Qadsiyah.”
Although Lukaku joined Chelsea for €113m in 2021, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has plummeted since then and now stands at just €32.4m.
Raheem Sterling to Saudi Arabia?
While Chelsea are happy to sell Lukaku to the Saudi Pro League, Raheem Sterling is reportedly unlikely to join him in the Middle East, according to Jacobs.
“Sterling remains committed to Chelsea, and is settled in London,” he told CaughtOffside. “But as a high earner at the club, it’s natural there will be speculation about a summer exit.
“Unless Sterling has a major U-turn, he’s going to resist an exit and try to prove any critics wrong. It hasn’t been an easy spell for him at Chelsea, but staying fit and having a run in the side could yet change all that.
“Links with Saudi, and Al-Hilal specifically, are wide of the mark according to my information. Sterling had a very informal approach from Saudi in summer 2023, but since then there has been no contact.”