benz.jpg
Getty Images

Karim Benzema's move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad is not working out so far and the situation has grown more tense since the start of 2024. The 36-year-old is reportedly looking to explore his options to leave on at least a temporary basis with a loan until the end of the current season but the defending Saudi champions do not want him to go. That said, Benzema is not currently part of head coach Marcelo Gallardo's plans while he remains unsettled so does it even make sense to keep persevering with the situation? The former Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid man was late back for midseason training and that has only complicated his relationship with Al-Ittihad and their Argentinian tactician further. Wherever Benzema goes next, he will have to take a major pay cut given his current salary while the Saudi Pro League titleholders are unlikely to want to be saddled with a sizeable percentage of that wage packet should he depart on loan. A number of European sides have been linked with Benzema but perhaps the most interesting link at present is that between the former France international and his formative club Lyon with American owner John Textor keen to make a deal happen.

Would Benzema going back to Ligue 1 in France with Les Gones make sense?

Why Benzema to OL makes sense

Fellow Lyon legend Juninho Pernambucano hinted at Benzema's future return to Groupama Stadium back in 2020 when asked about the then Real Madrid man returning home as he himself had done. The Brazilian did not hide OL's ambition then and it should be noted that he has since returned in an advisory capacity to current owner Textor.

"It is the dream of everyone here to see him come back to us for maybe two seasons, to play in the UEFA Champions League for us, to score goals again, to help us get good results, to be a leader, to wear the captain's armband, but also to bring all of his experience," said Juninho nearly four years ago. "We are waiting for the right moment to put that project on the table." 

Back then and even as recently as Benzema deciding to leave Real for Al-Ittihad as part of the Saudi talent wave, a return to Lyon made little sense -- on or off the field. However, with the French star now in need of a workable solution, OL might have a strong hand to play in where Benzema goes next and if he returns to Europe.

Juninho's vision is incomplete as Les Gones are battling relegation instead of fighting for a European place in Ligue 1, but the challenge is arguably greater now than it was then. Benzema could return to Lyon to lead them back towards the continental stage, getting at least a short-term move away from Al-Ittihad to continue playing while he is still reasonably close to his best form which saw him win the Ballon d'Or in 2022. Financially, it would be a huge undertaking by OL but it is something which they can now consider with financial limits easing after a rocky opening period under Textor's leadership in the wake of Jean-Michel Aulas' departure after decades at the head of the club. That combination of factors arguably makes it the best opportunity for Lyon to bring Benzema back now before it is too late -- there is no guarantee that there will be a more favorable opening to secure at least a brief farewell to Lyon and French soccer for the man from Bron now that his international days are well and truly over under Didier Deschamps.

Why Benzema to OL makes no sense

The biggest risk involved in Benzema potentially returning to France with Lyon right now is the potential damage it could do to his legacy both with the club but also in Ligue 1. When he left back in 2009, he did so considered as one of the top talents in the world game having electrified Le Championnat with OL and winning four French titles as well as one Coupe de France as part of 2007-08's double-winning season. Now, 15 years later, although he won the 2022 Ballon d'Or, there can be no doubt that age and physical issues were starting to catch up with him even before leaving Madrid. His numbers with Al-Ittihad might remain relatively decent, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to singlehandedly turn OL's form around. Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso's returns home have met with mixed results with the former scoring regularly despite clearly not being the player that he once was and the latter being more injury-prone than ever and struggling to live up to the heights set during his first stint. Also, the attention that would come with Benzema returning to France having explosively retired from international duty upon learning that Deschamps was being kept on as head coach would add further pressure.

Saudi cannot afford to lose Benzema

The stakes are not only high for Benzema and Lyon, but they are also extremely high for the Saudi soccer project which suddenly is facing its first early crisis with a number of star names either leaving or looking to leave. Jordan Henderson is already back in Europe with AFC Ajax after cutting short his stay with Al-Ettifaq but Benzema is one of the Saudi Pro League's biggest names and his departure would be a hammer blow to their long-term aspirations and image curation. A short-term deal would enable Benzema to continue to play at a high level and therefore prolong his playing career while offering Al-Ittihad and the Saudi soccer project the time to work out their options and the best way to proceed with the Frenchman instead of severing ties immediately. On the flip side, though, an unsuccessful spell with Lyon would not only work out badly for the player and the club, it would also work out badly for Saudi too with doubts over the ability of players to be reconditioned at the highest level after even just a few months in the league. Regardless of what gets decided next, the reality is that Benzema and Al-Ittihad is not working at present and that a solution -- European or other -- is needed in the coming days.