Karim Benzema remains exiled from the Al-Ittihad squad, training alone in Saudi Arabia while his teammates prepare for the resumption of the Saudi Pro League season after returning from holiday 17 days late.
The 2022 Ballon d'or winner incensed his current employers, who were expecting to him to report back on January 2 ahead the side's mid-season training camp. A source close to the club told France 24 that they had been unable to reach him for 10 days.
As a result, Benzema was omitted from the trip to Dubai by manager Marcelo Gallardo and continues to gear up for the league's resumption on February 7 on his own.
According to Marca, the 36-year-old had insisted that his tardiness was due to a cyclone that hit the island of Mauritius where he had been holidaying. However, Al-Ittihad were already angered by his absence from three training sessions prior to end of last year.
The news comes amid reports of the 36-year-old making a quick exit from the club and completing a fairytale return to his boyhood club Lyon this month.
The Ligue 1 strugglers have endured a torrid campaign, sitting 16th in the 18-team league. Despite the former Real Madrid's star's reported £85.9m-a-season salary, Lyon have attempted to bring him back to the club where he made his professional debut in 2004.
However, Mail Sport understands the striker is expected to remain with Al-Ittihad until at least the end of the current campaign. His first with the club, has been difficult.
Al-Ittihad fell to seventh in the table after a thumping 5-2 defeat to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in their final fixture before the mid-season break on Boxing Day. Benzema has found the net nine times for the side but has been outscored by his Moroccan teammate Abderrazak Hamdallah.
He will continue to train apart from a squad that also includes former Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante and ex-Liverpool star Fabinho, until their return from the Arab Emirates until next week.
His level of participation in the team for the remainder of the season remains unclear.
While Benzema is expected to stay in Saudi Arabia, he is the latest of last summer's high-profile recruits reportedly angling for a move away.
Former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino reportedly wants out of Al-Ahli and hasn't started any of their last seven matches. A number of Premier League teams are interested in acquiring his services.
And then there's his old Anfield skipper Jordan Henderson, who left Al-Ettifaq for Ajax last week, and explained that the decision was best for him and his family.
Al-Ittihad will be looking to get their season back up and running in the quarter-final of the King Cup of Champions against Al-Faisaly next Sunday. The resumption of their league calendar comes three days later against relegation-threatened Al-Tai.