Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants to sell Blues striker to Saudi Arabia: Reports
Chelsea are reportedly looking to sell Romelu Lukaku to Saudi Arabia. The Blues are looking to ship him for a reported fee of £34 million as he has no future at Stamford Bridge.
According to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, AS Roma are unwilling to pay the reported €40 million fee set by Chelsea on the striker. There is interest from Saudi Arabia in the Belgian forward, and the Premier League side are hoping cash in.
Al Hilal were keen on signing the forward last summer, but Lukaku rejected the offer. He wanted to stay at in Europe and was in talks with Juventus before talks broke down. Chelsea rejected the swap deal offer involving Dusan Vlahovic, as the Serie A side wanted cash as well.
Lukaku has changed his mind about the Saudi Pro League and told Riyadiya TV:
"For me personally, I think in the next two years it could be one of the best leagues in the world, if not the best. Right now they are doing a lot of investments and bringing the bigger players into the league. The teams are improving. They are playing a very good quality of football. There are good coaches as well. So I think in the next two years, three years, I think they will be one of the top leagues in the world. It's a very exciting time."
When asked if he is thinking of making a move soon, he confirmed that he is keen on the switch.
Romelu Lukaku comments on Chelsea future
Romelu Lukaku was speaking to Sky Sport Italia after AS Roma's win over Brighton & Hove Albion earlier in March. When he was quizzed about his Chelsea future, the Belgian claimed that he was not going to comment on it as it would cause controversy in England.
He said:
"I don't want to cause controversy in England, I have to be intelligent about this!"
He went on to talk about his time at AS Roma and added:
"The coach gives me more freedom in midfield and to push up. I have to attack the space, whereas before I was asked to hold the ball up. It is the first time I am being used as the lone centre-forward in Italy, but I'm settling well and hope we can continue improving to go far in Serie A and the Europa League. De Rossi talks about having new objectives every day and give your best to hit those targets. Every training session is a test and I like that, because I think great players do have to be stimulated."
Jose Mourinho was keen on signing Romelu Lukaku permanently from Chelsea. However, the Portuguese manager got sacked in January and the Belgian's future is now hanging in the balance.