Al-Shabab ‘to pursue’ Benzema as Al-Hilal standoff hardens | OneFootball

Karim Benzema’s standoff at Al-Hilal has sharpened as Al-Shabab explore a deal for the French striker.

Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Al-Shabab have approval to sign him and have asked the Saudi Pro League to help, but Benzema has rejected the move.

He has told Al-Hilal he wants one of two outcomes, either stay with the team or agree a mutual termination that pays all dues through 30 June 2027.

The forward earns 25 million dollars a year via a direct deal with Al-Hilal. His remaining dues from September to the end of June 2030 are about 20.8 million dollars, roughly 78.1 million Saudi riyals.

A second contract worth 23 million dollars annually, funded by the league’s recruitment programme and running to 2030, covers promotional work. If it runs until 30 June 2030, the remaining amount is around 330.6 million riyals.

One clause prevents him from playing outside Saudi Arabia for the duration, any overseas appearance would cancel that agreement immediately. These terms could favour an internal move, but his stance remains unchanged.

Al-Shabab must first offload 30-year-old Englishman Josh Brownhill before returning for Benzema, and would still require his approval. He has also turned down registration on Al-Hilal’s Asian list solely to feature in the AFC Champions League Elite.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”