ema linked with move to Saudi ArabiaKarim Be

Right, let's talk more transfers now, shall we? And let's talk about what's happening in Spain, because Karim Benzema has got a huge decision to make about his future. His Real Madrid contract is up this summer, and we're told the Saudi Arabian side are offering him a deal worth close to £350 million for a two-year contract. Let's go live and speak to our Spanish football expert, Alvaro Montero. Alvaro, fantastic to see you, as always. What are you hearing about the future of Benzema? Hi, Pete, good afternoon. Well, you've explained it perfectly. It's a £400 million contract. It will be for until 2025, so the next two seasons. As you said, Karim Benzema finished his contract this year, but you will remember, as he became last year Ballon d'Or, there was this close in Real Madrid contract, so automatically he renewed for one more year. So actually and officially now his contract is until 2024. So he has to negotiate if he wants to leave, for sure. And apart from that, the 35-year-old and Ballon d'Or, as I said, has been offered by the country, by Saudi Arabia, the possibility of becoming in the future the ambassador of the World Cup in 2030. Alvaro, Benzema is the fifth-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid's history. Will they do all they can to keep him, do you think, or is he one that they might be happy to see go? What's your feeling from behind the scenes? Good question. Well, nobody will be happy, especially Florentino Pérez. We have to remember that Florentino Pérez is the one who signed him in 2009. Not many people believed in him at first, even in the José Mourinho period. Some people believed that Benzema was not as good as Gonzalo Higuain, but finally he has become one of the best strikers in Real Madrid's history. I would say it's almost impossible for Real Madrid if you want to compare it economically. For instance, as an example, Eden Hazard is the player who earns more in the squad, in Real Madrid's squad, and he's earning such as 23 million euros per year. So it's almost impossible if you want to compare it with the offer of Saudi. I would say it's almost impossible for Real Madrid if we are speaking in economically issues. If you're speaking by the heart, maybe they won't try to convince him. We shall watch that one very closely. I mean, would you say Benzema is still one of the most important players in La Liga, or might this be a time where Real might look to bring someone else in? Well, Real Madrid wanted him to stay, but if we are speaking about La Liga, the organization, we have to remember that they suffered a lot after Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi left. One to Juventus de Turin, the other one to Paris Saint-Germain. So it will be important for La Liga, and they will feel sad for sure because it's a very well-known player all around the world. We have to remember, as we said one minute ago, it's the actual Ballon d'Or. It's very important for the image of La Liga, when you want to sell ticket rights and you want to sell the product outside Spain. For sure, not only in Europe, but especially also in the Arab countries and in the United States, for sure, getting Benzema is extremely important. And for Real Madrid, nobody a few weeks ago counted on the possibility of not having him as a striker for the future. Roberto Firmino obviously leaving Liverpool, he's been linked to the move to the Bernabeu. Anything in that, do you think? Well, it's an option, Firmino, for sure. But here in Madrid, and especially in the club, we are speaking about many, many other players. Blau Beach, Harry Kane, Gonzalo Ramos, and also José Lu, a former Real Madrid player who played in the Premier League, who played for Espanyol also here in Spain. And he was a good option to help Karim Benzema in the future. But now he's leaving, Karim Benzema, in case he leaves, I believe Real Madrid want to bet for another important number nine. The good thing of Firmino, it's said here in the Spanish press and inside the club, is that a contrasted player who had played many important games. It's not this kind of young player, 20, 21 years old, who arrives to Spain with no knowledge or with no experience. It's not the case. And especially it's a player that they feel is that in their very first game, he's going to play well. And Real Madrid doesn't want to bet on players with no experience. Alvaro, as a Newcastle fan, I nearly fell off my seat when I heard José Lu being linked with Real Madrid. But anyway, I understand he's been playing very well. Yeah, José Lu's been playing very well, yeah. Well, the feeling is that he was target number one for this year. Real Madrid wanted to count on him. Their relationships between clubs are fantastic. Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have amazing relationships. The feeling is that Real Madrid was going to pay more or less €100 million, which is an amazing amount of money. Remember that last year, Real Madrid paid €80 million for Aurelien Cheminy, the French player. And they believe he's a player for the future. So they also count that the player wants to play for Real Madrid. It can be a perfect match. But as I said, he's target number one for this summer. And Kylian Mbappe, of course, I have to ask you about him. I mean, he says he's staying at PSG next season, but does he remain a long-term target for Real Madrid? It's been spoken about for so long. It's a million-euro, million-pound question. Two years ago, I believe it was closer. Last year, almost impossible after his decision, after renovating with Paris Saint-Germain. A few days ago, three or four days ago, he was asked after winning La Liga in France if he was going to play for Real Madrid. And he said, well, I want to stay. I'm going to stay this year. So I will answer this question, or I will ask you to ask me this question next year. Maybe the summer 2024 can be the year or the summer or the market for Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid. Well, I promise you I will ask you that question again next year. But I want to leave you by asking another question I've asked you a number of times, and that is about the future of Lionel Messi. Xavi says he wants to bring him back to Barcelona. Is this a goer? Two things to say quickly. First, he has also an offer from Saudi Arabia, such as Karim Benzema, which I believe is a lot of money also on the table. And second, Xavi Hernández, yesterday, he was interviewing TV3 in the Catalonian television, and he said that 99% depends on Messi. So that means that if Barcelona has the possibility and the money, they will do it. Xavi wants, the president wants. It would be like a second opportunity or a new last dance or the last dance for Messi in FC Barcelona. But here in Xavi, it seems that it's going to be, obviously, Lionel Messi's decision. If he wants, he can come back. If not, he's going to leave to Saudi Arabia, to the MLS in the United States or wherever he wants. OK. Yeah, he really could go anywhere he wanted, couldn't he? OK, Álvaro, brilliant. Thank you so much for your time today. We'll speak to you soon. Thank you. Bye-bye.