Karim Benzema has already given green light to transfer as Arsenal and Chelsea sent message
Arsenal and Chelsea have been dealt a slight blow to their hopes of signing Karim Benzema. The 36-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League recently, with Mikel Arteta and Mauricio Pochettino both said to be in the market for a new striker.
Benzema, who left Real Madrid to join Al-Ittihad in the summer, has featured 15 times in the Saudi Pro League this season, scoring nine goals and providing five assists. After just six months at his new club, widespread reports claimed that the France international faced an uncertain future in the Middle East and that his impressive performances could secure him a return flight to Europe.
However, Benzema's representative has since issued an update on his client's future. As quoted by The Irish Independent, Hugues Vigier claimed that he's not spoken to the Frenchman about joining a new club this month, but conceded that he would like to see him return to Olympique Lyonnais one day.
He told French channel RMC: «When you are used to a certain level [of performance] and your results are a little less good at a given moment, people immediately say that it is the end of your career. I have to say that I would be quite happy to see him come back to play in Lyon, I would like it… but he hasn't told me that yet!»
Benzema first made a name for himself as a teenager in the French top flight, helping Les Gones win four back-to-back Ligue 1 titles. After a meteoric rise to superstardom at his boyhood club, he swapped the Groupama Stadium for the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009 where he went on to become one the greatest strikers of his generation.
As he nears the end of his career, it remains to be seen whether the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner will test himself in the Premier League
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