Benzema free from Al-Hilal: Can Lyon and Marseille really believe it?

Karim Benzema is expected to leave Al-Hilal before the end of his contract, which ran until June 2027, and could become a free agent in the coming days. The information, reported by journalist Santi Aouna, inevitably reignites speculation about a return to France.

Arriving in Riyadh only last February from Al-Ittihad, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner had made a convincing start with Al-Hilal: 9 goals and 5 assists in 13 matches last season. But the Saudi club wants to overhaul its attacking department and the Frenchman no longer fits their plans. Discussions over his departure, long complicated by the sums still owed to the player, now appear to be heading toward a mutual termination.

Lyon, the club of his heart but a closed door

Whenever the words “Benzema” and “free agent” appear together, all eyes turn to Olympique Lyonnais. Born in the Lyon area, developed at OL, the 38-year-old striker has never hidden his attachment to the club that revealed him before his departure to Real Madrid in 2009. The story would be beautiful — but Benzema himself ruled it out last April, unambiguously: “I cannot. Why not work there afterwards, but not as a player.”

Marseille, an attractive option on paper

Olympique de Marseille, seeking attacking reinforcements on a budget as several forwards could leave the club this summer, is monitoring opportunities. No information suggests concrete interest from OM in Benzema, but acquiring one of the greatest French strikers in history without a transfer fee would be enough to excite the Vélodrome. In practice, the player’s salary level would be a major obstacle, and Benzema has always presented Lyon as his only club of the heart in France.

If the player’s release is confirmed, the real question will be elsewhere: at 38, after three seasons in the Gulf, does Benzema want to extend his adventure in Saudi Arabia, attempt one last challenge in Europe, or hang up his boots? The suitors, meanwhile, should not be lacking.