Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has revealed that Manchester United lost out in the race to sign Karim Benzema to Real Madrid despite putting up a superior proposal
Benzema was considered one of the hottest prospects in world football back in 2009 following his exploits with French side Lyon and there were understandably a host of top clubs queuing up in an attempt to lure the striker away from Stade de Gerland.
It was ultimately Real Madrid who won the race to secure the services of Benzema for a fee of around £30million and the striker has since gone on to flourish into one of the finest strikers in the world.
Benzema has flourished into one of the best strikers in the world since his move to Madrid
However, it could have been all so different for Benzema after it has been revealed that Premier League giants Manchester United were very close to signing the striker instead.
Manchester United had been desperate to bolster their attacking lineup following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo – incidentally to Real Madrid, and had identified Karim Benzema as one of their key targets.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has now disclosed that the Red Devils had in fact put up a higher bid than Real Madrid – which had been accepted by French side, but missed out as the striker had his heart set on a move to the Santiago Bernabueu.
Benzema rejected Manchester United despite their lucrative offer
Aulas was speaking to Canal Sport and said, “For a long time he wanted to play one day at Real Madrid and when operations began to fall into place, we did not object. The proposal was superior to Manchester United’s but he was given the opportunity to go where he wanted.
“I am very happy for him. This is the best striker in La Liga and one of the best in the world. The criticism he has received are part of the life of a professional football player, but we had to be above it all.”
What Do You Think? Did Manchester United miss out big by failing to sign Benzema or has things turn out fine for the Red Devils with the Fernchman?
