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'Benzema's only desire is to return to Lyon' – former agent tips Real Madrid star for Ligue 1 return
OL fans might well be treated to seeing their former youth player once again don the famous jersey before he hangs up his boots
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema harbours a deep desire to return to Lyon, according to the player's former agent Karim Djaziri, although the representative admitted that OL may have to wait some time to be reunited with the 32-year-old.
Despite entering the twilight years of his career at the top of the game, Benzema has been a stand-out performer for Los Blancos this season, playing a pivotal role in pushing the club to the brink of La Liga success in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo having left for Juventus.
Indeed, having plundered 19 goals across 35 Liga appearances this term, the Frenchman continues to outshine Luka Jovic, with the Serbian failing to live up to his €60 million (£55m/$68m) price tag.
As such, Benzema could well be offered an extension at the Santiago Bernabeu, with his current deal set to run out in the summer of 2022. If not, however, it could be homeward bound for the centre-forward.
“Today, with the situation that he is in at Real Madrid, he has reached the peak of what every footballer wants,” Djaziri said in an interview with OLTV. “Playing in Madrid, being very close with his coach, adored by the public... it is not possible that he'll back a comeback today.
“But, since he left Lyon, Karim has had only one desire and that is to return to Lyon. Will it be as a player? It remains a regret for Karim not to have gone further in the Champions League. When he left, Lyon made the semi-finals.”
Benzema's time at Madrid has not always been plain sailing, however, having fallen out of favour under former boss Jose Mourinho. And Djaziri credits himself with making sure the striker stayed in the Spanish capital to fight for his place.
“When things went wrong with Mourinho, he would say to me, 'I want to go back to Lyon'. But I said to him, 'No, you're going to stick it out and you're going to make it'. And he made it,” Djaziri added.
“It's in the back of his mind and I think [a return to Lyon] is possible. If he has the legs and he thinks it's time to go and do something good, he'll come back. If he doesn't return as a player, I see him returning to Lyon in another role perhaps. I know that he really wants it.”
