What about Karim Benzema? Criticized for many weeks in Saudi Arabia and absent from the resumption with Al-Ittihad, dismissed by his coach Marcelo Gallardo when he would have been stranded in Mauritius due to a cyclone, the former Real Madrid and of the French team (97 caps, 37 goals) is in the dark. His name has been circulating in Europe in recent days. There was talk of Chelsea or even Lyon. According to ESPN, the former French international is in no case closing the door to any option this winter, including that of a return to the Old Continent. According to the US media, “Karim Benzema is exploring his options”. Our colleagues believe that the Premier League is obviously one of the possible points of departure, explaining that the person concerned is “not happy with the way his experience in Saudi Arabia is going”.
A priori, Al-Ittihad has no intention of parting ways with its star recruit from last summer. On his way to Ajax, Jordan Henderson however showed that you can leave the Saudi championship a few months after joining it… Five-time winner of the Champions League with Real and Ballon d’or in 2022, Benzema, 36 years old , is under contract until 2026. He has scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 20 matches in Saudi Arabia.
The suspense is at its height for Kylian Mbappé. Free at the end of the season, the captain of the Blues “did not make a decision”, as he explained at the start of the year. And according to RMC, PSG wants to know, as quickly as possible. However, there is no question of an ultimatum, just the desire not to relive the soap opera of 2022, when said Mbappé announced his decision to extend at the end of May. “It was the end of May in 2022 because I didn’t know until the end of May! If I know what I want to do, why hang around? “It wouldn’t make any sense,” KM declared at the beginning of January. Still according to RMC, hope is still present at the club but optimism is not overflowing. So much so that Parisian leaders are preparing “a plan B” in the event of Kylian Mbappé’s departure. Obviously, Real Madrid is in the same situation as Paris-SG and would like to be fixed as quickly as possible, but as often, it is the French who has the upper hand…
SEE ALSO – Paris SG: Kylian Mbappé looks back on his best goals and talks about Lionel Messi
Bought for €13 million by Olympique de Marseille last summer, Renan Lodi is already leaving, heading to Al-Hilal. The 25-year-old Brazilian international is transferred for €23 million, of which around €8 million goes to his previous club, Atlético de Madrid. Lodi thus joins the leader of the Saudi championship, whose squad includes Neymar, Malcom and Kalidou Koulibaly. He was the starting left back in Marseille, who have already recruited Ulisses Garcia for this position. Various sources suggest that the Marseille club is still working for a starter on the left.
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