Real Madrid are reportedly closing in on a deal to tie Karim Benzema down to a new contract until 2024, which would be pretty good timing if other interesting transfer rumours that have been surfacing prove to be accurate.
Fabrizio Romano has tweeted the news on Benzema, saying below that Madrid are now set to complete the agreement to keep the long-serving Benzema at the Bernabeu for another two years after his superb form last season, which they supposedly expect will see him awarded with this year’s prestigious Ballon d’Or prize…
Real Madrid are set to complete the agreement with Karim Benzema to extend his contract until June 2024. ??? #RealMadrid
Real expect Benzema to be Ballon d’Or winner — also celebrating his incredible year with new contract. pic.twitter.com/HUT0cd0AdZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2022
If it’s true that Real want to keep Benzema as their main man up front until 2024, then it could be timed perfectly for them to then replace the Frenchman with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
See below for a report from El Chiringuito yesterday that claimed Los Blancos would have the option to trigger a clause for Haaland in 2024…
?EXCLUSIVA @FernandoSanzD19 ?
?"HAALAND tiene CLÁUSULA de SALIDA en 2024 para ir al REAL MADRID"? pic.twitter.com/EiIxXbBbEC
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) October 4, 2022
Haaland has been on fire for City this season, scoring a remarkable 17 goals in his first 11 games for the club, and it’s easy to imagine he could be viewed as the perfect long-term replacement for Benzema in the future.
Still, Romano also wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column today that Haaland is currently fully focused on City, even though he admitted there would be a future clause in place for him.
“After such a sensational start to the season, it’s not surprising that barely a day goes by without fresh speculation about Erling Haaland’s future, with a report yesterday claiming that Real Madrid could have the option to sign him in 2024,” Romano said.
“There is a release clause in Haaland’s contract, as I’ve mentioned before – so we will see in the future, at the moment all the parties don’t want to give more information as Haaland is absolutely not thinking about the clause or other clubs … he’s more than happy at Man City.”