Real Madrid News: Lyon sporting director wants Karim Benzema to finish his career at the French club

What’s the story?

Lyon sporting director and Karim Benzema's former teammate, Juninho Pernambucano, wants the striker to end his career at the French club. The 44-year-old believes that the Real Madrid man would be the ideal leader and role model for the youngsters in the Lyon squad.

In case you didn’t know…

Benzema is a product of Lyon's youth academy and left the French giants for Real Madrid in the summer 2009. Since then, Benzema has lifted four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles among other honours with Real Madrid and is currently Los Blancos' sixth highest goalscorer of all-time.

The heart of the matter

Juninho in a recent interview expressed his desire to have Benzema back at Lyon. The Brazilian believes that the Frenchman would be the perfect leader for the club and will be a perfect mentor for the younger players.

SD Eibar SAD v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Juninho wants Benzema to end his career where it all began and believes that it could be a real possibility. While talking about Benzema, the Brazilian said:

"My desire is to propose to Karim that he finishes his career at Lyon.

"He is from here, he feels from here. Why not make an economic effort between both parties to make it happen?

"We can't offer the same salary as Real Madrid, but we will wait for the right moment.

"We exchanged messages when I was in Brazil. I felt like he would like to come. He has a lot of respect for the club.

"I want him to come and play with us for two years, and then train some of the younger players.

"Karim could be the leader that we need. I dream that he will end his career here at Lyon, his home."

What's next?

It will be interesting to see if Benzema, who can still play two-three years at the highest level, returns to his boyhood club in the future.

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