Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Nizaar Kinsella

Romelu Lukaku offered £16m deal to leave Chelsea for Saudi Arabia ahead of Mauricio Pochettino era

Romelu Lukaku has been offered £16million-a-year deal to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Lukaku is expected to push to leave Chelsea this summer and the 30-year-old striker met officials from Al-Hilal in Paris on Monday to discuss a move.

But Lukaku has initially expressed a reluctance to move to Saudi Arabia.

He earns around £11m a year at Chelsea and his preference is to play at the highest level, after he suffered the disappointment of losing the Champions League Final with Inter Milan.

Al-Hilal have significant backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Lukaku would immediately become their biggest star.

Lukaku is set to for talks with Chelsea over his future after spending this season on loan at Inter, who want to keep the Belgian international next season.

New Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has indicated he is willing to work with Lukaku.

But he looks set to pursue a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is also being targeted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, including Al-Ahli.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.