Benzema nearly joined Manchester United before choosing Real, confirms his former agent

The idea of a return to Lyon

According to Foot Mercato, Karim Benzema, 38 years old, was close to returning to Olympique Lyonnais, seventeen years after leaving. This information has been circulating heavily in recent weeks. The player ultimately did not sign and remains without a contract. His former agent confirms, however, that this option occupied the thoughts of his ex-client for a long time. The media does not provide the date of this confirmation.

Manchester United, close to winning

Football.fr reports that Karim Djaziri spoke on RMC. He confirmed there that Benzema was close to joining Manchester United, where Alex Ferguson wanted him absolutely. The Scottish coach also wanted to pair him with Hatem Ben Arfa. According to the agent's account, Ferguson told him this after watching Benzema play a match: he wanted both players. Djaziri says that at the time, this duo seemed like an obvious choice and could have become one of the greatest in football.

In the end, the coach did not get either player. Benzema, today's 2022 Ballon d'Or winner, chose Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.

The difficult call to Ferguson

Football.fr recalls that Djaziri had already discussed this episode last year. He then described the call to Ferguson, to announce Benzema's choice, as the most painful moment of his career as an agent. He feared the manager's reaction, especially since he was also negotiating for Gabriel Obertan. To his own surprise, Ferguson accepted the news with a lot of class, according to his account. He understood and later signed Obertan.

What is unknown

Neither of the two media outlets say if the Lyon file could be reopened. They do not specify either the period when Benzema most seriously considered this return.