Karim Benzema's transfer deal to Lyon collapses in the final hours

Karim Benouima's dream of returning to the Premier League, where it all began with Lyon, collapsed before it could even spark its first flame.

Benzema, who left Lyon in the summer of 2023 in search of a new challenge after achieving everything with the Spanish giants, embarked on a new adventure with Al-Ittihad in Jeddah. He is currently one of Al-Hilal's key players in Riyadh, but recent reports suggest a possible return to Europe soon.

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L'Equipe confirms the collapse of Benzema's deal to Lyon

As reported by L'Équipe, Lyon's hierarchy made contact with the striker, testing the waters to see if he might be open to a comeback in Ligue 1. Talks progressed, and the player even showed willingness to take a pay cut to facilitate the move. But in the end, no amount of financial flexibility could untangle the knot of legal complications still binding him to his current club in Riyadh. The deal, promising as it once seemed, quietly unraveled under the weight of red tape.

What stopped Karim Benzema's move to Lyon?

Benzema is not just a player in Saudi Arabia, but in fact he is one of the Kingdom's sports ambassadors until 2023. His contract with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia includes a large financial package, and this contract aims to promote the Saudi Professional League as a major sports platform. The Saudi Investment Fund is following these huge operations with football players who are active in the Saudi Professional League.

According to sources close to the player, his representatives did explore possible ways to juggle both commitments—hoping to find a middle ground that would allow him to serve two masters at once. But the sheer intensity of Ligue 1, with its grueling pace and physical demands, proved impossible to reconcile with the travel schedule and public obligations tied to his Saudi contract. The math simply didn't add up.

Benzema himself had already hinted at his reservations some time ago. In a reflective moment, he admitted that while the door was never truly closed, there was something to be said for knowing when to leave well enough alone. He spoke of the lasting imprint he had left in France—a legacy he hesitated to disturb—and confessed that the prospect of returning carried less fear than a quiet sense of caution. Some chapters, he seemed to suggest, are better left unwritten.

Hazem Mlhem |

Editorar, en

Hazem Mlhem est un rédacteur sportif expérimenté, animé par une passion pour le football africain.

Related teams and leagues

Lyon

Ligue 1 France