Lukaku: Why I was afraid to join Al-Hilal

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku rejected a transfer to Al-Hilal last summer but has revealed that he is now ready to make the move to Saudi Arabia.

After a successful loan stint at Inter Milan, Lukaku was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, with the Pro League looking to add to their evolving collection of superstars.

Al-Hilal, who had already signed names like Neymar Jr., Ruben Neves, and Kalidou Koulibaly among others, were the front runners for the Belgian. However, the striker decided to make the loan move to Roma instead, and he has explained why he rejected the move to the Middle East.

Speaking to Belgian broadcaster VTM, Lukaku said: “Saudi Arabia wouldn’t stop me. The level will only increase to a much higher level than many people think. More and more football players will tend to play there, also because of how the fans there experience football. The infrastructure still needs to be improved, but all major European clubs know, ‘Saudi Arabia is coming’. You already see that in boxing, golf, Formula 1…”

Speaking of his proposed move to Al-Hilal last summer, he added: “That was really intense at the time. For two weeks. For two days in a row I thought, ‘Yes, I’m going’, ‘No, I’m not going’.

“Because everyone only went to Saudi Arabia after I could sign there, I was scared for a moment.”

After another successful loan spell, Lukaku will return to Chelsea but is unlikely to be a part of Enzo Maresca’s plans for his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. As per reports, Lukaku will be available for £37 million ($47.3m) for any club to secure his services and it is possible that the Saudi Pro League might look to make a move for the Belgian, who is also a target for Paulo Fonseca at AC Milan.

The striker will now be focused on Belgium’s Euro 2024 campaign as they will look to gain some momentum heading towards the knockout stages. They will start their campaign with a clash against Slovakia on June 17.