Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed the Ligue 1 side had been close to re-signing their former striker but his salary was a bit much for the deal to go through.
Karim Benzema left his hometown club Olympique Lyonnais in 2009 in a 30-million-euro deal to take him to the Bernabéu, where he remains to this day having won four Champions League trophies, two Ligas and two Copas del Rey while becoming the club’s sixth highest-scorer of all time.
But last summer, Benzema’s long association with the European champions might have come to an end as Lyon launched a bid to be reunited with their former striker, who had been under scrutiny the season before for scoring just five league goals and 12 overall, his lowest return in nine seasons in Madrid.
Aulas on Benzema: "Financially we couldn't make it happen"
“It would be beautiful of course, to have him back,” Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas told Tout Le Sport. “We talked about it last summer because he was thinking of leaving, but financially we couldn’t make it work. We tried to come up with something with his agent bit it didn’t happen.”
Benzema decided to remain at the Bernabéu, where he has stepped out of the considerable shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo this season, and has scored 22 goals in all competitions so far.
Madrid exercised their buy-back option on Mariano Díaz last summer, paying Lyon 23 million euros for the forward, but Aulas did not confirm whether Benzema entered into those negotiations in any way at all.
jeebcdlmz
8
Benzema should hurry up to Lyon to go and end the psg reign
RichardSondashi
1
Please re-sign him
saodeikru
6
Lyon Legend Real Madrid Legend Underrated Benzema!!!
facadkoryz
0
hala MADRID
Yousaf10
0
u better hope and pray keep ur fingers crossed..either this season or next season for free choose
Only time will tell
JohnHalamadrid
0
We are not going to sell hazard qfter transfer ban
u better hope and pray keep ur fingers crossed..either this season or next season for free choose
Yousaf10
0
nah we will sign ur hazard
We are not going to sell hazard qfter transfer ban
July4
3
He’s on 22 goals this season. With only 2 penalties I believe. If he had taken the 5 penalties Ramos took, he’d be on 27 with 11 games left to play (so around 33 by the end). That’d be pretty much one of his best goalscoring seasons at the club.
bearing
0
Hope we'll still sign a goalscorer
horse
0
Why the Benzema hate? Look at his stats and also watch some of his key games. Even playing with Ronaldo didn’t hurt him from getting a respectable amount of goals.
JohnHalamadrid
0
Rma should sell modric,bale and benz amd sign icardi,erikden and neymar
nah we will sign ur hazard
basically
2
Karim Benzema for Lyon and Lyon B in all competitions: 👕 168 games ⚽️ 81 goals A Les Gones youth product. 🌟
kamaai
1
that Lyon team of 2002-2007 team was unreal Juninho Essien Malouda Wiltord Abidal Benzema Guvou
childhood
2
Need benzema back at Lyon so we can finish PSG once and for all
Bartholonew
0
Benzema 2004/2005 season To present 8 career yellow cards, 0 red cards in Club side competitions From Lyon to Real Madrid PlZ return
farewella
0
Please make it happen
Yousaf10
0
Rma should sell modric,bale and benz amd sign icardi,erikden and neymar
SamratCR7
0
sell benz & gale
bale u mean??
zikbceiklt
1
sell benz & gale
kingarthurr
2
sell benzema bale modric. buy icardi or kane, hazard, mbappe or neymar, erikson