Real Madrid News
Karim Benzema close to joining Al Ittihad, Real Madrid not told about decision yet
According to a fresh report by AS, Karim Benzema is close to joining Al Ittihad; the agreement is almost done, as per source close to the club.
The Frenchman will earn more than €100 million per year across his two-year contract if he finalises the deal. Madrid, however, are still in the dark about his decision, as there has been no official communication between the two parties.
Al Ittihad will sign Benzema on a free transfer as the veteran striker’s contract expires this summer. He was initially set to sign a new deal with Madrid, but has recently been tempted by the massive offer tabled to him from Saudi Arabia.
Earlier reports have stated that apart from €200 million+ across two seasons, Benzema will also get to retain 100% of his image rights, advertising money, and will also be an ambassador of the 2030 World Cup.
The Saudi government have approved and improved on all of Benzema’s request, and the player is not very tempted to leave Madrid at the end of the season. He has been in conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo about the Saudi league and life in the middle east.
Now, the five-time Champions League winner is a few hours away from completing the deal, the announcement for which could take place in the coming days, or weeks, if Madrid attempt to convince him to stay.
Al Ittihad players have already started to drop hints about the move, with Helder Costa saying, “We are very excited about the arrival of the Balon d’Or winner (Benzema).”
As far as replacements go, Madrid have a few names on the radar, starting with Harry Kane, who is reportedly Carlo Ancelotti’s priority for that position. A move for him will cost over €100 million, though, as Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is not ready to let him go easily.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
