SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Three options on the table for Karim Benzema
The Frenchman remains unhappy at Al Ittihad and with head coach Gallardo and a move to Jeddah rivals Al Ahli could be a solution for the 36-year-old.
After a series of meetings between both sides, Al Ittihad are putting their foot down and at present are refusing to let Karim Benzema leave the Jeddah based club.
With the market set to close on 30 January, talks are still afoot to try and reach a mutually suitable conclusion with a move to Jeddah rivals Al Alhi also being pursued with the Saudi Pro League not in a position to allow the likes of Benzema to leave the competition with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) now involved.
Al Ittihad has assured the Frenchman that they will make an effort to strengthen the team as the Tigers lie in sixth place in the table and are over twenty points behind table toppers Al Hilal.
Should Benzema refuse to play for Al Ittihad, the option the striker to play on loan at another PIF club would gather weight and Al Ahli would be the prominent destination with the other Jeddah heavyweights already having the likes of Gabri Veiga, Mahrez and Firmino on their books...
Gallardo will not make concessions
The Saudi league gets underway at the beginning of February and Al Ittihad have a massive Round of 16 AFC Champions League clash coming up mid-month where they face Uzbek outfit Navbahor with a possible quarter final meeting against Al Hilal on the horizon should they negotiate the Round if 18 game.
At present Benzema is training alone in Jeddah while the rest of his teammates train in Dubai but the striker is not keen on going out on loan to another Saudi club for six months. The French player’s relationship with new boss Marcelo Gallardo has hit a low and the Argentine refuses to offer the former Real Madrid man special conditions and is adamant that Benzema would not train with the rest of the squad in Dubai after he returned late following the Christmas holidays. The same treatment is being dished out by the head coach to Zakaria Hawsawi.
At present a move back to Europe for the veteran French marksman looks like the unlikeliest of the scenarios despite Benzema’s name being linked to a trio of Premier League sides (Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United) with French media also claiming that a return to his native Lyon was also a possible destination for the player.