Karim Benzema has six days to work out definitively if he does want to play the first half of the year in Saudi Arabia, or he would rather take a wage cut and return to European football. If the option of returning to Real Madrid were to appear, that may well shift his decision.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Olympique Lyon have all spoken to Benzema’s agents about a potential move, but with Al-Ittihad not willing to facilitate a move financially, it would require a huge wage cut to make a deal happen. With Benzema earning €100m per year, until that happens, the 36-year-old won’t be going anywhere.

According to Sport, Carlo Ancelotti has asked Real Madrid to consider bringing Benzema back to the club. Los Blancos brought Joselu Mato in as a rotational option, and Ancelotti has made it work with Jude Bellingham playing further forward this season, but after requesting Harry Kane, never saw a star number nine arrive to replace Benzema.

The club initially communicated that a return was impossible, and have not opened the door yet, and are unlikely to make a move for him. Perhaps the only way it could happen is if Benzema made the move happen, and arrived on a tiny salary on loan until the end of the season. Equally, the Catalan daily tend to be less reliable than Madrid-based outlets for news on Los Blancos.