If Karim Benzema has returned to Jeddah, he is for the moment still kept away from the Saudi group by Marcello Gallardo, who wants to be intractable.
The Benzema case has not stopped talking. After hitting the headlines by skipping the resumption of training, his entourage claiming that he had not been able to leave Mauritius in time due to the passage of cyclone Belal, the former Madrilenian certainly returned to Jeddah the week last. But the time has not yet come for appeasement between the native of Lyon and Al-Ittihad.
Because if the leaders of the Saudi club are working to end the crisis, Marcelo Gallardo is showing himself to be intractable. According to the media Arriyadiyah, the Argentinian technician refuses to reinstate the French striker. Thus, while his team is training in Dubai in preparation for the resumption of the season, Karim Benzema remained in Jeddah where he trains alone. The leaders of Al-Ittihad nevertheless hope to end the crisis by the time it resumes at the beginning of February.
Karim Benzema’s situation appears all the more uncertain as a return to Europe appears highly improbable. Certain rumors have recently evoked an interest from several English big names, including Chelsea or Manchester United, but according to The Athletic, Al-Ittihad has not yet received any offer. Likewise, if RMC assured, Monday, that Olympique Lyonnais was considering his return, the file appears too complicated, particularly on a financial level, to imagine seeing KB9 return to his training club.
