Footballer Karim Benzema is considering his future with Spanish giants Real Madrid amid interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, ESPN reported, citing an unnamed source.
The 35-year-old Frenchman was offered a two-year contract worth 400 million euros which would involve him being paid as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia's World Cup bid in the future, according to the source - potentially prying him away from the club he joined back in 2009.
The deal would be the same as the one offered to Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo in his momentous move to Saudi team Al Nassr earlier this year.
Benzema, the winner of the 2022 Ballon d’Or, had reportedly agreed earlier this month to extend his contract with Real Madrid for another year. However, the situation has changed in recent weeks, and he is now reconsidering the offer that Al-Hilal made him in January, ESPN said.
Saudi Pro League clubs have in recent months made massive offers to some of the biggest names in international football.
Ronaldo, considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, made the switch from the European leagues to Saudi club Al Nassr in January of this year.
Al Nassr's rivals Al-Hilal has been linked with several big names over the past few months. The have most notably tabled a massive offer for Lionel Messi, with some reports stating they have offered the Argentinian captain 500 million euros per year.
Benzema has suffered several injuries over the past year, most notably one that kept him out of last year’s World Cup - where he controversially watched from afar as his France teammates lost an epic final to Messi’s Argentina.