Lukaku agent makes bizarre Saudi PL claim after failed permanent Blues transfer

Romelu Lukaku ultimately secured a loan from to Roma late in the transfer window after Chelsea tried to offload him for a fee

Romelu Lukaku’s agent has astonishingly blasted the Saudi Pro League for making his Chelsea exit difficult.

An unprecedented competitor from the Middle East muscled in throughout the summer, signing several superstars from across the planet. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) have committed a reported $2billion to make their league one of the best in world football.

Cristiano Ronaldo paved the way in January but the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante followed suit to send shockwaves across Europe. Audacious approaches for Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah also fell through as PIF aimed to upset the transfer market apple cart.

From a Chelsea perspective, their arrival worked wonders as Todd Boehly was able to shift several surplus players off the books. Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy were offloaded for inflated fees, helping the Blues bankroll their own summer dealings.

But one player who refused to budge until the end of the window was £97.5million flop Lukaku. While the striker ultimately secured a late loan move to Roma, Chelsea were hoping to get him off the books permanently.

Speaking to Belgian outlet RTL, Lukaku’s agent, Sebastien Ledure, believes the Saudi Pro League’s lavish spending priced his client out of a move. He said: "It was very difficult [for European clubs to buy Lukaku]. [It was] even impossible at the start of the transfer window to talk about a loan solution.

"The owners of Chelsea were looking for 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