Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema was destined, as was the case at Santiago Bernabéu, to become second fiddle in the Saudi Arabian Pro League alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
But a break with his club, Al-Ittihad, brought a possible return to European football back into the spotlight. Benzema was severely criticized by supporters for his performances which were considered insufficient and, when they had to resume pre-season training, the native of Bron was not present. He has been missing for two weeks and is still not training with the team as discussions take place over his future.
Negotiations continue
On Wednesday, it was reported that Arsenal, Manchester United and Lyon were in talks with Benzema’s camp. The main doubt was whether KB9 would want to leave Saudi Arabia (the local hierarchy wants to keep him), but it was said that money would not be a problem.
However, Fabrizio Romano told Caught Offside that this was the main obstacle. On his daily show Daily Briefing, he explained that United did not have much room in their fair play budget to accommodate a large salary, while the owner of Olympique Lyonnais had been trying for a month to make “the impossible possible “. As long as Benzema does not accept a drastic pay cut, his future will remain in Saudi Arabia. Negotiations continue, but nothing is moving yet.
