Fabrizio Romano gives verdict on Man Utd & Chelsea chances of signing Karim Benzema

Fabrizio Romano has said it will not be ‘easy’ for any sides trying to sign Karim Benzema on loan in January.

Manchester United and Chelsea have been credited with an interest in the French striker, who joined Al-Ittihad last summer, ending his 14-year association with Real Madrid. However, reports have recently suggested that Benzema is not enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia and is keen on a return to Europe.

Transfer expert Romano said there is some truth to those reports but added that agreeing a winter loan for the player could prove almost impossible.

“It is not going to be easy for any player to leave Saudi Arabia, especially in January,” the Italian journalist told the United Stand YouTube channel. “They are big salaries and I know there are stories about Benzema and many others but from what I’m hearing, the situation is not at that stage.

“It’s not concrete, it’s not advanced. There is some tension between Karim Benzema and people at Al-Ittihad. They have a new director of football now, Ramon Planes, who was at Real Betis and just joined the club.

“Today [Monday], he will start his new chapter at Al-Ittihad and he will have a conversation with Karim Benzema and the manager [Marcelo] Gallardo and they will try to understand what is going on. 

“So let’s see what happens with Benzema but at the moment there is not a concrete negotiations, it is just normal links with a fantastic striker who can be an opportunity on the market for many clubs around Europe.

"As of today there is no clarity on what is going to happen with Al-Ittihad, and no guarantee that Al-Ittihad will accept a loan deal, especially a cheap loan deal. I think he is not an easy one for all the English clubs potentially interested in Karim Benzema.”