Benzema ready to join Lyon for free, Saudi ambassador contract blocked everything

Karim Benzema was ready to rejoin Olympique Lyonnais this summer, even willing to play without receiving a salary, but his Saudi Pro League ambassador contract put an end to all discussions. This is what L’Équipe revealed on Saturday.

According to the media, discussions took shape several weeks ago, when Benzema was still under contract with Al-Hilal. Lyon’s recruitment team was seriously considering bringing back their former prospect, 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, and the player himself was entertaining the idea of a return to his academy club. As a sign of recognition toward Lyon, he would have even agreed to play voluntarily.

But a contractual obstacle blocked everything: Benzema is tied to the Saudi Pro League as an ambassador until 2030, a commitment he “intends to honor,” L’Équipe specifies. This clause effectively prevents him from signing with a club operating outside Saudi Arabia, making any arrival at Lyon impossible before this contract expires.

Benzema left Lyon in 2009 to join Real Madrid, where he won five UEFA Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles in fifteen years of his career. Now free of any player contract since the end of his adventure with Al-Hilal, he must find a new team — but it will not be Lyon, at least not before 2030.