What's next for Romelu Lukaku?

 What's next for Romelu Lukaku? Inter Milan can't afford him, Chelsea don't want him and he vowed to NEVER join AC Milan - the only club interested in him - so is Saudi Arabia his only option:

Romelu Lukaku seems stuck at Chelsea as his lucrative contract makes the striker a tough sell on the transfer market and few clubs are able to match his high salary.

The Belgian was Serie A's highest-paid player last season when he was loaned out to Inter Milan but struggled to justify the expense. For the first six months of the season, Lukaku was either unavailable due to injury or lacked the physical form to make a positive impact for both Inter and Belgium.

With Lukaku just turning 30, clubs interested in signing the striker are worried about his salary demands and his recent physical issues as well as his age.

The current version of Lukaku is not worthy of a place at one of European football's elite clubs as the striker is in serious danger of starting an irreversible downward spiral in his career.

Lukaku has shown he needs a club that plays a very specific way and the striker thrived under Antonio Conte's system during his early spell at Inter Milan.

On the other hand, Lukaku has struggled to fit positively into Manchester United or Chelsea's systems.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter have no hope of returning Lukaku on loan for a second straight season as Chelsea have categorically ruled it out.

The Blues are looking for an offer of at least €40m (£34m) as they look to recoup some of their spending on the Belgium centre-forward.

As a result, Saudi Arabia remains a very real target and there is still a chance of bringing Lukaku to the high-spending Pro League.

Lukaku's preference remains a return to Inter but he must wait and see if chairman Steven Zhang can make an offer Chelsea finds acceptable.

Meanwhile, Inter's rivals AC Milan have made their first offer to the Blues.

LUKAKU'S PROMISE TO FANS: 'I WILL NEVER GO TO AC MILAN'

Lukaku had previously declared his love for Inter in an interview with Sky Sport in 2021 and repeated that he would never accept offers from Milan and Juventus. But the situation has changed dramatically.

For now, only Stefano Pioli's AC Milan can offer Lukaku a return to Serie A.

Gazzetta dello Sport have reported that Chelsea have informed Lukaku's entourage that another loan move to Inter is impossible.

The news was notably passed on to Sebastien Ledure, the lawyer who played a pivotal role in brokering a deal that saw Lukaku go on a season-long loan with the club last year.

Chelsea insist that anyone who wants Lukaku must buy him immediately. As of this writing, with Inter lacking the financial resources for a deal, AC Milan is Lukaku's only option to stay in European football.

Lukaku could only get Al Hilal's offer. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the Saudi side have offered him a three-year deal worth €30m (£26m) a season.

Al-Hilal continues his efforts to sign the forward, having started immediately after Inter Milan lost to Manchester City in the Champions League final.

A first meeting took place in the hours after the Istanbul screening at the Hotel George V in Paris.