Lyon’s sporting director reveals why they chose Openda over Benzema

Karim Benzema is a free agent after his Al Hilal contract was terminated, and he wanted one last opportunity in European football by returning to his former club, Lyon.

The Ligue 1 side were looking for a striker after Endrick returned to Real Madrid following his loan spell at the club, and signing Benzema made sense given his experience. Benzema also wanted the move to happen and was prepared for a return, but Lyon ultimately chose a different option.

Lyon signed Lois Openda on loan from Juventus , and Benzema never returned to the club. The French side were more than happy to land Openda and will hope he performs well for them, while Juve will also want him to succeed so they can either sign him permanently or have the opportunity to sell him.

Benzema's return to Europe was also complicated by clauses in his Saudi Pro League contract, which tie him to some off-field work in the country beyond his playing spell there. Those contractual obligations contributed to the difficulties surrounding a potential return to Lyon.

(Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Lyon sporting director Matthieu Louis Jean has now spoken about the two deals and explained why Benzema did not return, as quoted by Calciomercato :

"It's almost a fantasy. There was contact with an intermediary this summer. It didn't go any further: it was impossible due to contractual issues."

He added: "We didn't go any further because we needed a fast attacker and we were working on Openda."

Lyon therefore decided to focus their efforts on Openda rather than pursue a return for Benzema. Although the experienced striker was interested in rejoining his former club, contractual complications prevented the move from progressing.

For Benzema, the situation means his hoped for return to European football with Lyon did not materialise. For the French side, meanwhile, Openda became their preferred solution in attack, with the club now hoping the Juventus loanee can deliver enough quality to justify a potential permanent deal.