Long-term target Karim Benzema has apparently decided to stick with Lyon (various).

This comes after months of speculation that the impressive 20-year-old striker was set to leave the French champions for either the Premier League, Serie A or La Liga.

The French international has been in startling form of late and scored in the Champions League draw against Man United last week. Now it seems he wants to stick with his hometown club a little while longer. With Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson banging at his door, as well as Barcelona, Inter Milan and Juventus, it did seem Benzema was going to jump ship in the summer.

‘There isn’t a top-level French star over the past 20 years who hasn’t sought his fame abroad...’


I would question if this latest round of speculation has much validity – without wishing to poke fun at the French league or to disrespect it in any way, surely the dream of every player in Ligue One is to move to one of the European giants.

There isn’t a top-level French star over the past 20 years who hasn’t sought his fame abroad and this is down chiefly to two factors:

1) The French league isn’t even close in quality terms to that of England, Spain, Italy and Germany;

2) The money to be made elsewhere is a vast improvement on what players can make in their homeland.

Maybe Benzema really does want to stay with the club he has been with since youth academy, and if that is the case then that is commendable but could also be said to show a lack of ambition – after all, he has already won the French title three times!

I predict he will leave, either this summer or the next.