Lyon are looking to make a sensational offer for Karim Benzema, who is still unhappy with his contract with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
According to Fabrice Hawkins, journalist at RMC Sport, the Ligue 1 club wants to bring back the Frenchman, who left in 2009 to join Real Madrid. Coming from the Lyon training center, he played 148 matches with Les Gones, for a total of 66 goals. The former France international joined Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia over the summer after leaving Los Blancos, but things did not go as planned. In the Gulf country, Benzema has often been the subject of harsh criticism from supporters and commentators. He also angered the club by returning to training 17 days later than expected. It was widely reported that he wanted to return to Europe as soon as possible.
Lyon faces a deadline for Benzema
The media claims that notable Lyon sources have specified that the financial aspect would be difficult. Lyon cannot afford to pay the player what he earns at Al-Ittihad. Benzema will have to give up a large part of his huge salary if he wants to rejoin his old team. The striker was also linked with a return to Real Madrid, but the Merengue club quickly cut that plan short.
Just a month after his arrival at Al-Ittihad, Benzema and Nuno Espirito Santo publicly fell out. Despite his success with the team, the Portuguese coach was ultimately fired due to this dispute. The Saudi club are also reportedly keen to sell the French striker and have until the end of the month to finalize a deal. If a contract is indeed finalized in January, Benzema will likely have already played his last match for the Saudi Pro League side, given that the league will not resume until mid-February, after the Asian Cup in Qatar.
