According to recent reports, After failing to persuade Lionel Messi, Al Hilal has set their sights on Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian star was reportedly offered a salary worth €20m per season to sign for the Saudi Arabian club.
The Belgium star is currently on loan from Chelsea for Inter Milan. He has been so since June of 2022.
🚨 EXCL: An appointment took place yesterday in a large Parisian hotel between Al-Hilal and Romelu Lukaku.
— Chelsea Dodgers (@TheBlueDodger) June 13, 2023
The Saudis verbally offered a salary of $20 million per year. The Belgian striker is interested but wants a lot more. Discussions will continue.#CFC
(@Santi_J_FM) pic.twitter.com/fhdndRQ09A
The talk of the town is that there was a meeting in a Paris hotel between Al-Hilal representatives and Lukaku to discuss the potential move. Despite the giant salary on offer, the striker is still holding out for a possible new deal with Inter Milan.
However, if he accepts the move to Al Hilal, he will become a rival to Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 30-year-old is at a crossroads in his career after reaching the Champions League Final while on loan with the Nerazzurri. His contract with Chelsea runs to June 2026, but he has clarified that he wants to remain at San Siro, despite the €113m transfer to Stamford Bridge in 2021.
Inter officials are due in London this week to discuss a £50m move for the Cameroon goalkeeper André Onana and a potential loan deal for Lukaku.
Inter cannot afford to purchase him back but is trying to negotiate a new loan after paying €10m for the one-season spell.
Champions League Final Horror
Romelu Lukaku helped Inter tremendously last season. However, his horror performance on the biggest club stage of the UEFA Champions League final has left him and Inter fans having nightmares.
Taking on Manchester City in the 2023 final in Istanbul, Lukaku started the match on the bench thanks to the growing partnership between Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko. However, Dzeko failed to impact the game and was substituted in the 55th minute in favor of Lukaku.
In the 70th minute, Inter almost equalized when Federico Dimarco’s diving header was destined for an open goal but was unfortunately blocked by the Belgian on the goal line.
Lukaku would get his chance to redeem himself around 15 minutes later, as he picked out a header right on the doorstep of City’s goal. Still, he put it straight at the feet of Ederson, who made a spectacular save. The Manchester City goalkeeper would have been unable to stop a shot to either side, but with the header directed straight at him, he produced a stunning stop.