Karim Benzema........lets make a move

[Nicholas van Whatsisface]

Evening guys - first post for me - look forward to the traditional welcome....

Just to add a different slant to this article - I've been doing a bit of snooping after someone else quoted it on another thread earlier today - Aulas went on to discuss Eto'o and stated quite clearly "Eto'o is expected to join Manchester CIty". Here it is in French:

<a class="postlink" href="http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/04062009/70/transferts-kak-n-ira-pas-chelsea.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://fr.sports.yahoo.com/04062009/70/ ... elsea.html</a>

(Look in the second story)

What's interesting is this interview has been picked up by loads of English language media today and they've all stopped short of this, simply saying that Eto'o will leave Barca - <a class="postlink" href="http://goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2009/06/05/1306988/karim-benzema-is-not-indispensable-to-olympique-lyonnais" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zon ... e-lyonnais</a>. Pretty odd, but encouraging.

Despite the fact that Aulas is a first class bullsh***er, he is close to Eto'o - Lyon have been strongly linked to him in the past and here's a picture of them together at some dinner - <a class="postlink" href="http://lyon.theoffside.com/people/karim-benzema/oh-that-etoo-rumor.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://lyon.theoffside.com/people/karim ... rumor.html</a>

I really should be doing something else with my Friday nights....

Nice find mate - some top notch detective work there!

Sounds promising

 

[kippaxkid85]

Yeah, sorry to turn a Benzema thread into another Eto'o one, but I can't understand why no English media have gone with the full translation.... Has Cookie told them to delay till we can announce it officially?.....

 

[allan harper]

Yeah, sorry to turn a Benzema thread into another Eto'o one, but I can't understand why no English media have gone with the full translation.... Has Cookie told them to delay till we can announce it officially?.....

Really hope so, is Eto on international deuty?

 

[Rammyblues]

I didn't like the bit about Eto o being a cancer in the dressing room, we have enough of them at the club at the moment.

 

[Cambridgeblue]

Lyon are ready to sell! I was told he is on Hughes list...maybe just to gazump Man Yoo, but we will see soon

Manchester United could be tempted by £25m Karim Benzema
Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has opened the door for Manchester United to step up their interest in Karim Benzema by admitting that the French club could be forced to sell the £25 million-rated forward this summer.

By Mark Ogden
Published: 6:54PM BST 05 Jun 2009

Karim of the crop: Lyon may offload striker Karim Benzema from £25 million Photo: GETTY IMAGES
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has monitored Benzema's progress since the 21-year-old scored in a 1-1 Champions League second-round tie at Stade de Gerland in February 2008, and the France international has been earmarked as a possible replacement for Carlos Tevez should he leave.

Benzema has consistently maintained that he is keen to stay at Lyon and, although Aulas has insisted that he has no desire to part with the player, the chairman has admitted that a substantial bid could force him to sell.

Real Madrid admit four-month pursuit of Manchester United's Carlos TevezAulas said Benzema "said he wants to stay and I don't want to sell, so he is here at 99 per cent. However, Kaka should have not left Milan and he will join Real Madrid.

"We have entered spiral madness and I won't say that Karim is untransferable."

Benzema has previously expressed a preference to move to Spain rather than England should he leave Lyon, but he insists that he is not ready to push for a move this summer.

He said: "If there is a huge offer and the chairman tells me I have to go, I would probably leave. But I will not go and see him to ask to leave." Real Madrid have previously courted Benzema, but in a week when he has admitted an interest in signing Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, Real president Florentino Perez has now confirmed that he intends to sign Bayern ******'s French winger Franck Ribery.

Real sporting director Zinedine Zidane has urged Perez to target Ribery ahead of Ronaldo, but Perez admits that the club have still to discuss a deal with Bayern.

He said: "It would be a huge satisfaction to have Ribery with us as soon as next season, but we first have to talk to his club."

Meanwhile, Manchester City could face competition from Inter Milan for Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o following the suggestion that Eto'o could move to the San Siro in a swap deal involving Inter's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Despite winning Serie A with Inter last season, the Swedish striker claims he is keen for a fresh challenge.

I'd say do it just to bump the price up for united... can you imagine how red baconface's face would go if every time he bid on a player we made him pay 2-5 million more than he wanted - it would be priceless.