Monday, 13th October, 2014



Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas says that Karim Benzema could have joined Manchester United had he wanted to, despite the Red Devils' offer being lower than Real Madrid's.

Benzema switched to Real Madrid from Lyon in the summer of 2009 with Les Gones pocketing an initial €35m for the striker, a fee which with add-ons hit €41m.




Manchester United were also in for the highly rated Frenchman, with the club's then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson being a firm admirer of his talents.

Aulas claims the choice of destination was entirely Benzema's, as Les Gones had been willing to approve a move to Manchester United even though the offer from the English side was not as high as that on the table from Real Madrid.
 


"He had wanted to play for Real Madrid for a long time and we did not stop him", Aulas told Canal +.

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"The offer from Real was better than that of Manchester United, but we gave him the opportunity to choose", the president continued.

"I'm very happy for him that he is doing well in Madrid."

Benzema has flourished at the Bernabeu, forming an effective partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo and notching a total of 116 goals for Los Blancos in 246 games.

The striker, who won four Ligue 1 titles with Lyon, has won one La Liga, one Champions League and two Copa del Reys in the Spanish capital.

 


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