Karim Benzema set for another Real Madrid reunion in Saudi Arabia

Stuart Telford

• 3 Sept 2023 13:37 BST
• 3 min read

Karim Benzema could be reunited with long-time Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos at Al-Ittihad with the Spanish centre-back offered a two-year contract by the Saudi Pro League side.

The Saudi Pro League's transfer window doesn't close until Thursday and Ramos is available on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain anyway.

Al-Ittihad signed Ballon d'Or winner Benzema earlier in June, making him the joint-highest paid player in the world beside another Madrid legend in Cristiano Ronaldo on €200 million a year.

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Al-Ittihad have also since signed N'Golo Kante and Fabinho from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, and they plan to strengthen further before their own domestic deadline.

Ramos' contract offer revealed

"Al-Ittihad's proposal to Sergio Ramos [would be] a two-year deal with a break clause included in the contract," tweeted transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. "The Saudi side are waiting for a final decision as Ramos has also been approached by Turkish clubs."

Besiktas are reportedly the Turkish club in for Ramos, while he was previously linked with a move to David Beckham's Inter Miami to be reunited with former Clasico rival and PSG teammate Lionel Messi.

READ: Saudi Pro League top scorers: Goals galore as Cristiano Ronaldo leads standings

Ramos is now 37 but is still valued at €6.3 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, with an ETV of €30.7m, so Al-Ittihad would be pulling off a coup financially if the can sign him ahead of the competition.

That's not to say he can't still do it on the field of play. He started 31 of his 33 Ligue 1 games last season as PSG defended their French title, and averaged a 94.1 per cent pass completion which put him in the top percentile among centre-backs Europe-wide in that regard.