Riyadh: Actual Madrid’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad for 3 years beginning subsequent season, a supply within the Jeddah-based membership informed AFP on Tuesday.
The announcement comes days after Actual Madrid introduced that the 35-year-old was once leaving the membership after 14 seasons, the day after trainer Carlo Ancelotti had mentioned there was once “unquestionably” Benzema’s long run lay within the Spanish capital.
“Benzema has signed a freelance for his switch to Al-Ittihad for a three-year length beginning subsequent season,” the Saudi membership supply mentioned.
If the transfer is showed, Benzema will sign up for his former Actual Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo within the Gulf kingdom after the five-time global participant of the 12 months moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United following final 12 months’s Global Cup.
Lionel Messi, who’s leaving Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons, has additionally been related with a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
Senior officers from every other Saudi Arabian membership, Al Hilal, have flown to France to check out and seal a deal for Messi after the 35-year-old Argentinian performed his final sport for PSG on the weekend, two assets with wisdom of the subject informed AFP on Sunday.
The Saudi delegation plans to satisfy Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, with the aiming of finishing the signing once imaginable.
Benzema joined Madrid in 2009 from Ligue 1 facet Lyon.
He made 648 appearances for Madrid and is 2d on Actual’s all-time goalscoring listing with 354 — best Ronaldo has extra.
He has lifted 5 Champions Leagues, 4 L. a. Liga titles and 3 Copas del Rey with Madrid.
However after a stellar 2021-22 season when he led Actual to Champions League glory and was once rewarded with the Ballon d’Or, he was once by way of accidents within the just-completed season and needed to leave out France’s Global Cup marketing campaign in Qatar final 12 months with a thigh downside.
Saudi Arabia has drawn up an inventory of “greater than 10” avid gamers who’ve received both the Champions League or the Global Cup that it needs to entice to its league, a supply with reference to the negotiations has informed AFP.
The listing contains Actual Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and his France teammate N’Golo Kante. All are on the tail-end in their careers.
The arena’s greatest oil manufacturer has ambitions to host the Global Cup in 2030 or 2034 and is making a bet on game to assist revamp its austere symbol, which has earned accusations from rights teams that it’s “sportswashing”.
Actual are protecting a rite on Tuesday to mention good-bye to Benzema.