Real Madrid captain and ace frontman Karim Benzema has rubbished claims about his reported departure from the club for a mega-money contract in Saudi Arabia.
Benzema, who once again finished as Real Madrid’s top goalscorer in all competitions this season in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, was reported to have signed a one-year contract extension with Los Blancos during the 2022/23 season.
At 35, the club is not confident about his longevity and for the sake of the squad, is actively looking for a replacement for the French striker. Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur is their reported top priority for this role as they seek to build a formidable front line that will have Kylian Mbappe in it at some point in the future. Benzema, meanwhile, will play for one more season to help the transition, according to reports.
As the 2022/23 LaLiga season comes to an end, there have been reports of a mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia to Benzema, the likes of which Ronaldo accepted in December 2022 and Lionel Messi has received as he contemplates his next destination away from Paris Saint-Germain.
£345 million is on the table for Benzema to make the switch to Saudi Arabia and a few media outlets in the Middle East claimed he had accepted the deal and would announce his departure on June 1.
When approached on June 1, however, Benzema would deny those claims, indicating that his career at Real Madrid, which has panned 14 years, is set to continue. “Speak about what?” he replied when asked if he was going to announce his departure from the club. “Why speaking of the future if I’m in Madrid… Who’s speaking is internet, and reality is not internet.
“At the moment, I’m here… we have a game on Sunday. I know how much Real Madrid fans love me. I feel that when I’m on the pitch.
“I give my best for them, always. I always say that we play with 11 on the pitch but also with crucial factor, Real Madrid fans.”
ESPN claims that the club that offered Benzema that amount to move to the Saudi Pro League is Al-Ittihad. They also claim that his contract benefits will see him match Ronaldo’s at Al-Nassr. Both offers, however, pale in comparison to what Al-Hilal is prepared to offer Messi should he choose to move to Saudi Arabia.
The move by the Saudi clubs is understood to be a ploy to bring some much-needed media attention to their league, football culture and stadia which they hope will be enough to convince FIFA and its member confederations about their bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
