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Karim Benzema returning to Europe looks likely, and it could be to one of his former clubs
There has been growing talk of Karim Benzema possibly leaving Al Ittihad already, just a few months after his move from Real Madrid as one of a number of players joining the Saudi Pro League project. We’ve seen Jordan Henderson moving from Al Ettifaq to Ajax, and, as Fabrizio Romano notes, Benzema’s situation at his club is tense as well at the moment. Chelsea have been reported as exploring the option of signing the veteran forward on loan, and it’s no secret that things haven’t gone as hoped in Saudi.
Despite links with the Premier League, I think there’s the growing possibility that Benzema might consider a short-term move back to his former club Lyon, to help them out of their current predicament as they fight for survival in Ligue 1. If he’s not happy at Al Ittihad then, as we saw with Henderson, there might be a way for him to get out of his agreement there. It’s probably quite worrying for Saudi Arabia that so many of these star names are already considering returning to Europe after just a few months on board with this new project.
I’m not sure Benzema, at his age, will still be at the same level we saw from him at Real Madrid. Injuries were catching up with him there as well and that hasn’t changed, but of course he’s still of the quality that I could imagine big names like Chelsea being willing to give him a chance. He’ll have to choose his next move wisely, and that’s why I think a return to Lyon might be one to watch – he could be a real talismanic figure there.
I don’t think Benzema would’ve expected to come back to France to finish his career, but the circumstances have evolved and although it could still be complicated for political reasons, this is one that will be of growing curiosity to the French public. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him return to Europe in the next few weeks.
The latest on Nordi Mukiele’s potential move from PSG to Bayern Munich
Nordi Mukiele is a top target for Bayern Munich and as of a few days ago there was confidence on all sides about getting this deal done. He’s been a bit unlucky with injuries at PSG – he’s a versatile player who could undoubtedly be useful for Bayern, but I would say that during his time at PSG he hasn’t quite proven himself to be strong enough in the central defensive position. That’s limited his chances in the starting line up, though I still think he’s a valuable squad player and PSG might struggle to find someone to replace him.
PSG might be taking a bit of a risk letting a useful squad player like Mukiele go, especially now that Milan Skriniar is injured as well, but from the player’s perspective I can understand him wanting to go. He wants to go in search for more minutes and his talent merits that, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this Bayern move goes through as his stock remains high in Germany from his time at RB Leipzig.
Still, this now seems to be developing into a tricky final two weeks of the transfer window for PSG – they’re unable to sign Gabriel Moscardo from Corinthians immediately, as they had originally planned, because of the injury picked up during his medical. There’s a bit of pressure as well from Corinthians – they want to get the deal done and get the money for him now despite the fact that he wouldn’t be available until the summer.
PSG had been looking for midfielders for the end of the window, but they might now have to switch to defensive reinforcements because of the injury to Skriniar, so it’s not an ideal moment for them to be losing Mukiele, but they’ll be hoping to find a solution that allows him to move on. I’d add that it can’t be entirely ruled out that suddenly Mukiele is needed by Luis Enrique and it does turn out he stays and gets more minutes, especially with Achraf Hakimi being at AFCON with Morocco.
Sacha Boey looks like one to watch for PSG this January
Sacha Boey has been on the radar of a number of clubs for some time, he’s on the list of clubs in the Premier League and other top leagues in Europe. The latest is that PSG have been looking at him and I think he looks like a good solution for them amid doubts over Nordi Mukiele’s future, albeit more as an option on the right-hand side of defence than in the centre.
I’m not sure if Boey ticks all the boxes for what PSG need at the moment, but perhaps it will be that they go for him and a second player. At the same time, he is one of the names who’ll be towards the top of the list of talents available in that position, and PSG like to have two quality players in each position – they’ll look to acquire that sort of talent, especially a French-born talent like Boey if at all possible.
While things don’t look to be concrete or advanced at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me to see PSG make a move for Boey. Don’t forget as well that he’s from the Paris region and that’s another important quality they tend to look for. He’s had a good footballing education Rennes and he’s really burst onto the scene at Galatasaray now.
Let’s see if PSG try something, though there’s certainly a risk as January goes on that they might let players like Mukiele go without having secured a replacement. There might be a late flurry of activity, but it just depends on what PSG get firmed up before they make decisions on who comes in and who leaves.
Jonathan David and other names to watch at Lille
Jonathan David’s form has picked up again after a bit of a dip, and my understanding is he’s still someone who’s very much on the radar of a number of top clubs across Europe, Premier League clubs included.
It’s funny, something I’ve observed before is that David seems to come into form just in time for the transfer window – there’s so often this cycle where clubs start to show an interest in him and his price goes up, and to be honest his price tag at the beginning was probably too high, just after he helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title.
It’s been difficult for clubs to meet the asking price set by Lille, though they were probably more realistic with it last summer. We’re probably now getting close to seeing David leave Lille in the next six months or so. I don’t think it will be this month, though, I don’t think Lille will let any of their star players leave in the middle of the season.
One exception could Leny Yoro – my understanding is Lille could accept permanent bids for him as long as he stayed there until the end of the season, similarly to Chelsea’s deal with Malo Gusto last year. But in terms of allowing a source of goals like David to leave now, I think they’d find it hard to replace him, so I see more logic in him moving on in the summer.
It’s a tricky window Lille, because Edon Zhegrova is also attracting a lot of interest from around Europe. So that’s three of their most important players on the radar of top clubs and it’s a tricky one for them to navigate, to work out who, if any of them, they can afford to move on.
Yoro staying would be of a huge benefit to Lille, but it might also suit them if they can bring in some money for him ahead of the summer, if that opportunity arises. For David and Zhegrova, though, it’s more likely that they’ll move in the summer rather than in this window.