According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins, striker Karim Benzema is on his way back to Europe after a difficult time in Saudi Arabia. However, the potential landing spot is determined not to be Premier League giant Man Utd but his old club, Olympique Lyonnais.
This journalist said that the French football giant intends to bring Benzema back but everything is still at the discussion level. Because Lyon is worried that the deal will cost them a financial amount beyond the club’s ability.
Benzema is said to be earning a salary of 200 million Euros/year at Al Ittihad. Of course, Lyon cannot meet this salary for a 36-year-old player like the Saudi Pro League giants.
If he really returns to his boyhood club Lyon, the former Real Madrid captain will have to maximize his income. In addition, the professional factor also needs to be taken into account when the ‘Lions of the Rhone River’ in recent years have lost their position in Ligue 1, and are even racing to stay relegated this season.
Therefore, if this deal really takes place, it will mainly be based on the relationship between Lyon and Benzema. The player born in 1987 grew up from the club’s academy and spent 4 years playing for Lyon’s first team before moving to Real Madrid in 2009. During that time, Benzema appeared 148 times for Les Gones, scoring 66 goals.
In the summer of 2023, Benzema left Real Madrid after devoting 14 years of his career to the club to go to Al Ittihad. However, after only 6 months in the new team, the French striker is said to be “disillusioned” in Saudi Arabia and wants to leave.
In that context, some of Europe’s top clubs are said to want to borrow Benzema for the last 6 months of the season. Notable are some Premier League clubs such as MU, Chelsea or Arsenal, but they all hesitate because of the high salary of the former Real star.