Karim Benzema’s time at Al Ittihad appears to be coming to a very quick ending, with reports of huge tension between player and club.
It isn’t clear why the Frenchman is so keen to depart the Saudi Pro League side, given that he was more than happy to leave Real Madrid for a reported £100m per year contract.
As one of the major names in the league behind former Los Blancos colleague, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema’s stature is what will help the league to project itself around the world, making its aim to become one of the best a reality.
On that basis, not to mention the huge financial outlay and fanfare upon his arrival, it’s completely understandable why Al Ittihad might be up in arms over Benzema’s current attitude.
If he is determined to move on there appears to be little that the Saudi side can do, and in a surprising turn of events it seems that Carlo Ancelotti would welcome Benzema back to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to Sport.
The Italian runs the risk of getting on the wrong side of Real president, Florentino Perez, with any such request, and it would be highly unlikely that Perez could see past the Frenchman’s decision to snub the renewal that Los Blancos presented him with last summer.
The outlet note that both Arsenal and Chelsea remain interested in Benzema, but with time running out to agree a deal, the player could be in the footballing wilderness for the next few months.