Lyon confirms contact with Benzema this summer, but obstacles blocked his return

Olympique Lyonnais did attempt to pursue Karim Benzema this summer, but the deal never really took off. On Monday in a press conference, the club’s sporting director, Matthieu Louis-Jean, confirmed that an intermediary had made contact with the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner’s entourage, without the exchanges progressing beyond that preliminary stage.

“There was contact this summer, with an intermediary, but it didn’t go any further than that,” Louis-Jean said. “It was unworkable given his contractual situation. We didn’t try to push further, because we knew the difficulties. We were notably working on the arrival of Loïs Openda.”

The sporting director also clarified that he had not directly exchanged with the 38-year-old striker, and expressed uncertainty about the complete resolution of his contractual situation with the Saudi Pro League. Benzema, who terminated his contract with Al-Hilal, remains tied to the Saudi federation as an ambassador for the championship until 2030 — a constraint that weighed heavily in the balance.

Formed at Lyon and having made his professional debut in the Rhône club’s colours, Benzema had fuelled rumours for several weeks of a return to his childhood club. The reality of the matter proved far more complex: between the legal uncertainties surrounding his departure from Saudi Arabia and Lyon’s sporting priorities in this transfer window, the scenario was never seriously considered by the club’s management.