Benzema replacement. Al-Ittihad sign Monaco striker for €33 million

Al-Ittihad failed to agree on a new contract with Karim Benzema, who is set to move to another club. The Saudi side have now found a replacement up front.

Details: Insider Fabrizio Romano has given his trademark “Here we go” on the transfer of George Ilenikhena from Monaco to Al-Ittihad. The Saudi club will pay €33 million for the striker, with the player set to undergo a medical examination next.

However, the deal for Gustavo Sá is under threat, despite a verbal agreement having been reached and medical tests already scheduled.

We previously reported that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport has stepped in and suspended Benzema’s transfer to Al-Hilal under pressure from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star is unhappy with the fact that Al-Nassr are receiving less funding for transfers than other clubs.

Reminder: We previously reported that Al-Nassr published their starting line-up for the league match. As it turned out, Cristiano Ronaldo was included neither in the starting eleven nor in the matchday squad.