Karim Benzema's future is set to be decided in the next few days, as a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo looms.
The Real Madrid striker, 35, is understood to have recently received a huge offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club which would see him earn around £345million over two years. Benzema currently has a deal which keeps him in Madrid for another 12 months, but reports suggest that the Frenchman could be set to wave goodbye to the Santiago Bernabeu as soon as Sunday.
Sky Italia claim that Benzema is evaluating the lucrative contract offer from the Middle Eastern side, who'd like to wrap up the agreement by Thursday. That would give the reigning Ballon d'Or winner a chance to prepare his farewell, with Athletic Bilbao travelling to the Bernabeu this weekend to end the LaLiga season.
Meanwhile, the Athletic report that Real would be open to letting Benzema go this summer, despite having no readymade replacement. At the beginning of May, manager Carlo Ancelotti explained why Los Blancos should be looking to sign a new striker in anticipation of Benzema's eventual departure.
"The project for the future for the club is to sign a No. 9, because Karim is the age he is," Ancelotti declared. "But Karim is doing very well up until now and while he is in good condition, it's working very well.
"It's true that Karim has had his up and downs, but Rodrygo has progressed, [Marco] Asensio has progressed. But it's also true to say that in the last two years, the problem has not been the forwards."
Have your say! Should Karim Benzema move to Saudi Arabia? Join the debate in the comments section.
Benzema could be replaced by Tottenham talisman Harry Kane, who's been tipped for a move to Madrid should the 35-year-old depart. Benzema joined Los Blancos in 2009 and has since gone on to become the club's second all-time top goalscorer (354) behind a certain Ronaldo (450).
Benzema played alongside the Portuguese superstar for the first nine years of his Real career, with Ronaldo leaving to join Juventus in 2018 after becoming arguably the greatest player in Los Blancos' illustrious history. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner then re-signed for Manchester United three years later and, after a 15-month spell, made the switch to Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr last December.
Ronaldo has since scored 14 goals in 19 games, and although he hasn't been able to win a trophy for Al-Nassr, his presence has drastically increased interest in the Saudi Pro League. The Portugal captain, now 37, claimed last week that the Saudi Arabian division could soon be among the world's best.
"The Saudi league is getting better, next year will be even better," Ronaldo declared. "Step by step, I think, this league will be in the top five leagues in the world but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure. But I believe this country has amazing potential. They have amazing people and the league will be great in my opinion."
