Lukaku’s father pushes for Saudi Arabia move

Carlo Garganese

• 22 Nov 2023 14:24 GMT
• 3 min read

Romelu Lukaku’s father has admitted that he wanted his son to move to Saudi Arabia this past summer.

Roger Lukaku, himself a former player in Belgium, Turkey and for the Zaire national team, believes that his son should have accepted the huge riches on offer from the Saudis.

Lukaku Jr was involved in arguably the most exhausting transfer saga of the 2023 summer transfer window.

The 30-year-old had originally been expected to return to Inter for a third time this season, having spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan from Chelsea.

However, the Nerazzurri suddenly stopped negotiations in July after being angered when Lukaku held talks with rivals Juventus behind their back.

As a result, Inter withdrew their transfer offer, leaving Juventus a free path to sign Lukaku.

Juve failed to agree a deal with Chelsea, though, and eventually Lukaku moved on loan to Roma in the closing days of the window after rejecting a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

It was reported Al-Hilal offered over €50m a season for Lukaku to join them.

What did Lukaku Sr say?

“He made the right choice by going to Roma, but I would’ve chosen Saudi Arabia, he should’ve gone to Al-Hilal,” said Roger Lukaku.

“How much would he have earned there, €45m per year? He would’ve had to talk to (Belgium coach) Tedesco to see if he could keep his place in the squad, but Cristiano Ronaldo does it.

“Romelu has two children, he is already 30 years old, at a certain point he has to think about himself. But he wanted to remain in Europe.”

It is expected that Al-Hilal and other Saudi clubs could return for Lukaku at the end of the season when his loan at Roma expires.

It is clear what Lukaku’s father believes his son should do if they come knocking again.