At this point, it’s fair to assume that Romelu Lukaku’s future at Chelsea is close to non-existent, and with the Blues needing to sell to balance the books, his exit in the summer almost guaranteed.
The big question, one Gazzetta dello Sport try and answer on Friday, is where he will be heading to, with a few options at his disposal, all depending on certain circumstances.
Currently on loan at AS Roma, the Chelsea man could end up staying there, but only if the club manage to qualify for the Champions League.
This is something that has been thoroughly looked at in the past by the same newspaper, especially since the Blues need a €43m sale to ensure he doesn’t go down as a financial loss in their books.
That’s a fee Roma cannot afford without qualification to Europe’s elite competition, but there are other clubs waiting ‘on the sidelines’.
Those so happen to be in Saudi Arabia, having previously attempted to lure Lukaku there last summer, which the player wasn’t interested in at the time.
He appears to have since changed his mind, recently praising the league there, perhaps knowing that might be his only option in the future.
The fact of the matter is Chelsea need a €43m sale and he ‘will be sold’, but despite his status in the game, it seems that few clubs outside of Saudi Arabia would be prepared to pay that at this moment in time.
