Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku joined Roma on loan during the summer transfer window.
The 30-year-old Belgian striker was heavily linked with a move away from the club and the likes of Juventus were keen on signing him. They failed to secure an agreement with Chelsea and the player eventually completed a move to Roma on a loan deal.
Lukaku was linked with Inter Milan earlier this summer as well.
The player’s agent has now revealed that Saudi Arabian clubs have made it difficult for European clubs to pull off transfers this summer.
Chelsea found the offers from clubs like Juventus unsatisfactory during the summer transfer window and Lukaku’s agent claims that the lucrative offers from Saudi Arabian clubs have distorted the market landscape and therefore European clubs are now struggling to agree deals for the players.
He told RTL: “It was very difficult, even impossible at the start of the transfer window, to talk about a loan solution.
“And what the owners of Chelsea were looking for was above all to find a definitive solution, a transaction, a permanent transfer. And the real change that happened this summer was the arrival of Saudi clubs on the international transfer market.
“They have set the bar so high in terms of the transfer compensation offered to European clubs and in this case to Chelsea, that it has become very difficult for European clubs to line up and therefore on the one hand, you have a club that is not opposed to a transfer.
“On the other hand, they are going to seek the maximum transfer fee which obviously, in this case, it was only the Saudi clubs that could achieve such large amounts.”
Juventus reportedly offered a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku but the move never quite materialised.
It will be interesting to see if Lukaku can make his mark at Roma and help Jose Mourinho’s side compete for the league title. Roma have shown improvement under Mourinho and they will be hoping to compete for major trophies now.
Lukaku has proven his quality in Italy with Inter Milan and he will be hoping to impress with the capital club as well. Lukaku was instrumental when Inter Milan won the league recently and he could play a key role during Roma’s title push as well.
The 30-year-old does not have a future at Stamford Bridge and he will hope to secure a permanent exit from the London club as soon as possible. If he manages to impress with his performances at Roma, he could have the opportunity to join the Italian club permanently in the near future.
Apparently, there was interest from Saudi Arabia in the Belgian international striker as well but he was not keen on the move. Lukaku wants to continue in Europe for now.
