Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has been offered a massive deal to join Cristiano Ronaldo in moving to the Saudi Pro League.
After losing the UCL final 1-0 against Manchester City, Romelu Lukaku’s future is uncertain. The Chelsea striker, who rejoined Inter Milan on loan this season, is still not certain where he will be playing next season.
Chelsea bought the Belgian for a fee of around £97.5 million in 2021 from Inter Milan. But after a disastrous first season, he was sent to loan back to Inter Milan. Now, he will return to Chelsea as his loan deal has ended.
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New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is said to want the player to rejoin the squad. But the club wants to trim down the squad and reduce the wage bill. Lukaku earns around £11m a year at Chelsea currently. Inter Milan is also said to want the player to stay but is unwilling to pay a big transfer fee.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s league rivals Al-Hilal offers Romelu Lukaku a big contract
But another contender for Lukaku has arrived, this time from the deserts of Arabia. Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal have reportedly offered the striker a two-year deal worth €50 million.
According to GOAL, Lukaku visited Saudi Arabia on Monday to discuss the deal with the club’s representatives. Lukaku wants to continue playing at the highest level in Europe, especially after the UCL final loss. But, Al Hilal’s offer is also said to be tempting to him.
Romelu Lukaku has been offered a two-year deal worth €50 million by Al-Hilal 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/ggN3piORJT
— GOAL (@goal) June 13, 2023
It is thought that if Lukaku does leave Europe, he will try to ask for a bigger deal from the Saudi club. But, Al Hilal will also have to deal with Chelsea. Chelsea will not let the striker leave for a small fee, instead asking for at least €50 million. Al Hilal will not want to spend that much, but they are ready to discuss it with the club to find a solution benefiting everyone.
Lukaku will also meet with Chelsea in the coming days to clarify his future.
The offer from Al Hilal corresponds with the recent trend of European superstars being offered huge sums of money to join the Saudi League.
Cristiano Ronaldo initiated the trend, moving to Al Nassr on a 200 million dollar contract. Following him, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Lukaku’s former teammate N’golo Kante joined Al Ittihad. More stars are expected to follow suit, for example, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang from Chelsea as well.
Lukaku joining Al Hilal will mean he will face Ronaldo in a derby as Al Hilal and Ronaldo’s Al Nassr are city rivals.
Lukaku’s potential Saudi move prompts Megan Thee Stallion jokes
Now that Lukaku is rumored with a Saudi move, fans are also making fun of him in another aspect.
The player is thought to be dating popular American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. At Inter Milan teammate Lautaro Martinez’s wedding in Lake Como, the two were seen holding hands together. This led the internet to believe the two were dating. But, there has been no confirmation of it from any of them.
After the Saudi interest in Lukaku was confirmed, fans started to make fun of the striker’s relationship with Megan Thee Stallion on social media.
One Twitter user joked that the player will try to bring the rapper to Saudi Arabia, “Lukaku trying to convince Megan to live in Saudia”
Lukaku trying to convince Megan to live in Saudia pic.twitter.com/HUMxJAsdKq
— Oth K (@Othmane_1887) June 13, 2023
Another wrote, “megan thee stallion in a niqab will be CRAZY though”
he genuinely might not be good enough for them at this point
— ekvedrek (@ekvedrek11264) June 13, 2023
megan thee stallion in a niqab will be CRAZY though
Another poked fun at the country’s dress laws, “So Megan thee Stallion is gonna have to dress a bit more “appropriately”?”
Whatever the case and conclusion of the Lukaku transfer saga, he will not be the only one to join the Saudi League. As more and more superstars are expected to join the league in the coming days.
