Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has reportedly been offered a massive £345m two-year deal to join an unnamed Saudi Arabian side this summer. The 35-year-old’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu is up in the air, as he is yet to sign an extension to his deal which expires this summer.
Despite prior reports in Spain that he is likely to sign a new deal with Los Blancos, the Ballon d’Or winner has still not announced his future with just one game left to play this season.
Spanish outlet AS Sport has now reported that Benzema has been offered a €400m (£345m) deal over two years to make the switch to Saudi Arabia and end his legendary 14-year stint in Madrid.
It’s claimed that the signing of Benzema would help with the country’s strategy of landing the 2030 World Cup – and that the Frenchman could become an ambassador for the competition.
Benzema would likely earn a large amount of money if he was to take up an ambassadorial role for the competition if they win the bidding rights – in a tournament that would be jointly held with Turkey and Greece.
The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is described by AS Sports as the ‘first piece of the puzzle’ towards landing the competition, while Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi could also be on his way to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Benzema has had a hit-and-miss season on the field for Real as they won just one of the three trophies they competed for – as well as the Club World Cup – only lifting the Copa del Rey in what was a disappointing year.
Los Blancos missed out on Barcelona in the La Liga title race, while they were eliminated by Manchester City in the semi-final of the Champions League.
The Frenchman signed for Madrid in 2009 from Lyon and has gone on to achieve countless accolades in the Spanish capital.
After winning the Ballon d’Or in 2022, he managed just 23 league games this term, although he still netted 18 times as Madrid fell short.
In total, he has scored more than 350 goals for Madrid in more than 600 games since his £ 25 million move 14 years ago.
Benzema finished the season with a gruesome cut on his foot that required stitches.
He provided an update on Monday with suction devices on his foot to gently heal the wound and also on his back to repair muscle.
He posted a picture on Instagram with the message: ‘Thank you, until next time.’
Real Madrid fans hope that means he could be staying despite a mega-money offer to join the Saudi Pro League this summer.
