Gallardo doubles and does not call Benzema for the Asian Champions League

Al-Ittihad has sent the list of players registered for the round of 16 of the Champions League from Asia and it’s not there Karim Benzema. So Marcelo Gallardo did not hold back despite the obvious differences he maintains with the Frenchman and did not include him in the most important competition in which the club participates.

Karim Benzema returned late to training at Al-Ittihad and El Muñeco did not forgive him. When he joined the team, the club showed images of the Frenchman on the sports field, but the Argentine coach forced him to train separately.

According to the Marca newspaper, at that moment the Frenchman refused to retire and there was a moment of tension between the coach and the player. “The Argentine coach, firm in his conviction of not granting privileges and in the search for justice within the locker room, ordered the former Real Madrid player to train alone after an initial part of work with the group. Karim refused to do so, got angry… and soon left the session”says the Spanish newspaper.

Now, Saudi Arabia team will face Navbahor Namangan for the Asian Champions League. The first leg will be played in Uzbekistan. It should be remembered that a prior list is required before the duels and that the Asian Champions clubs can only select five foreign players for their matches. And in this case Those chosen by the Doll were Hegazy, Fabinho, Kanté, Romarinho and Hamdallah.

The team is not at its best and rumors indicate that Karim would have demanded high-level signings. Due to the lack of new players he started to be absent and in fact he hasn’t been on the pitch since December 26th. Despite the discontent, the market has passed and the Frenchman has not gone away. He didn’t go to the preseason in Dubai and has now returned to training after a month’s absence. But for the moment Gallardo isn’t counting on him.

The most expensive player in history for Gallardo?

Muñeco’s Al Ittihad would offer 235 million euros for Salah.

The possibility of Mohamed Salah moving to Al Ittihad has been established in mid-2023, before Marcelo Gallardo takes charge of the team. Then, the player’s representative lowered the negotiation and explained that the contract with Liverpool was renewed until 2025. It was commented that the Arab club would be willing to pay 175 million euros for the Egyptian. And the topic was back in the spotlight this Monday, with rumors that the Tigers would make a huge offer for the 31-year-old.

The club is preparing a €235 million offer for the player, according to information released by The Athletic, the leading English website. If so, he would be the most expensive player in history, because he would surpass the current record, Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain, at 222 million, in 2017.

This would be what the English club would receive: there would be 85 million euros per year for the player. In any case, this would be far from Cristiano Ronaldo’s income at Al Nassr, calculated at 200 million euros per year, including advertising. In fact, the club significantly increased its revenue from social networks once the Portuguese was added.

Salah is currently injured, after participating with his country’s team in the Africa Cup of Nations. He scored 14 goals in 20 Premier League games for Liverpool. He is only surpassed by Erling Haaland, who has 16.