What is to finally become of Romelu Lukaku and his big, bloated contract that has haunted Chelsea Football Club for the past three years? He has been linked with a move to Napoli, who have just appointed his former manager Antonio Conte. It was in Inter Milan that Lukaku found the greatest form of his career, while working under Conte, and the big Belgian was able to parlay that into the monster deal that Chelsea gave him, which has proven to be one of the worst signings in club history.
Having flopped at Chelsea for the second time, Stamford Bridge is now hoping to cut their losses.
According to the BBC, Chelsea are “looking to recoup some of £97.5m they paid Inter Milan for him in 2021, with their asking price believed to be about £37m as the club aims to get the 31-year-old’s £325,000-a-week wages off their books.” Running a currency conversion, you’re looking at $415,419 per week at Stamford Bridge, and that is a lot of cash to then reallocate to the wage bill for all the new signings they will make this summer.
The former Manchester United and Everton man is also drawing interest from AS Roma (who can’t really afford him) and AC Milan, according to a report in ESPN. And while he has been linked for a reunion with his former boss Jose Mourinho, who just took the Fenerbahce job, this scenario is also unlikely.
The Turkish side simply can’t afford him either.
So who can?
All those oil-rich clubs in the Saudi Pro League, that’s who! Chelsea reached an agreement with Al-Hilal last summer, but Big Rom nixed the deal. It is sounding like this time around, he’ll approve it.
Lukaku was asked why he hesitated on a move to the Arabian peninsula last summer by HLN.
“Because everyone only went to Saudi Arabia after I could sign there, I was scared for a while,” he answered.
“[Now] Saudi Arabia would not stop me. The level there will only rise, to a much higher level than many people think. More and more footballers will tend to play there. Also because of how the fans there experience football. The infrastructure still needs to improve, but all the big top European clubs know: ‘Saudi Arabia is coming.’ You already see that in boxing, golf, Formula 1.”
So will Lukaku make the move this summer? He provided the following insight:
“A lot of people like to talk, maybe because I don’t have an agent. But I’m going to decide. I control my situation myself.
“I am going to make a choice and once I will explain it, everyone is going to agree with me. Look, every time I decided to stay or leave somewhere, it turned out to be the right choice because of certain factors — for example my rapport with the coach. It’s like a relationship with a woman.
“If it doesn’t click anymore, why stay together?”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.