Confirmation has come in that Romelu Lukaku has received a formal offer from Al-Hilal, which potentially paves the way for him to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
After spending the 2022-23 season on loan at Inter, the Chelsea striker traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with officials from Al-Hilal, as reported by GOAL.
Al-Hilal has put forward a two-season contract proposal to Lukaku, amounting to a total of €50 million.
Lukaku is set to return to Chelsea following the expiration of his loan deal with Inter. Reports suggest that Inter may not have the financial means to secure his permanent signing, and the newly-appointed Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is apparently open to giving Lukaku another opportunity at Stamford Bridge.
However, GOAL confirmed that Lukaku is very much open to a switch to Al-Hilal. The 30-year-old will first try to squeeze an even larger salary out of the club, though, as he wants to be rewarded handsomely if he is to turn his back on European football.
Al-Hilal will have to enter into direct negotiations with Chelsea if they strike an agreement with Lukaku.
The Blues are open to a sale as they seek to trim their squad ahead of the new season, but will ask for a fee in excess of €50 million.
GOAL understands that Al-Hilal are reluctant to pay that much for Lukaku, but they will be receptive to a potential compromise with Chelsea to push a final deal over the line.
The Chelsea forward has expressed his desire to remain at Inter, who reached the 2022-23 Champions League final only to lose 1-0 against Manchester City, but it appears unlikely that the Italian giants will be able to keep him for another year.
The lure of riches in Saudi Arabia could prove too strong for Lukaku to ignore, with Ronaldo paving the way for more high-profile stars to play in the Middle East after his record-breaking switch to Al-Nassr in December.
Ronaldo’s former team-mate Karim Benzema has since left Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad, with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante also now set to complete a move to the Saudi Pro League champions.