Karim Benzema and Al-Hilal are parting ways with immediate effect, Fabrizio Romano reports. The Frenchman has had his contract terminated and now faces a major decision over his future.
Benzema, now 38, joined Ittihad Club from Real Madrid in 2023. The Ballon d'Or winner from the previous year then made the eye-catching switch to rivals Al-Hilal in January 2026.
Just six months later, Benzema is a free agent and may already have played his last match. "Benzema will announce his decision about his future soon," Romano writes.
"Retirement and another Saudi club are the options. A return to Europe is not going to happen," Romano says. That update on Benzema comes at the same time as Ollie Watkins' presentation at Al-Hilal.
For now, it is unclear whether Watkins' arrival has anything to do with Benzema's decision. The 30-year-old joined Villa in 2020 and scored no fewer than 91 Premier League goals for the Birmingham club.
Al-Hilal are paying around sixty million euros for Watkins, who will play alongside, among others, Crysencio Summerville. The Netherlands international had already moved from England to Saudi Arabia earlier this summer.
For years, Benzema was regarded at Real as one of the best strikers in the world. After Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus in 2018, he stepped out of his shadow.
He scored 354 goals for Real and played a major part in the club's success over the past decade. Alongside the Ballon d'Or, he won the Champions League five times and four league titles, among other honours.