Karim Benzema's personal trainer denies posting farewell message on social media

Staying put?
Staying put? / Florencia Tan Jun/GettyImages
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Karim Benzema's personal trainer has denied that he posted a 'farewell message' on Instagram amid rumours around the forward's Real Madrid future.

90min reported on Tuesday that, despite agreeing terms on a one-year extension at Real Madrid, Benzema is currently mulling over his options ahead of the summer transfer window.

One option is a mega money move to Saudi Arabia, where he has been offered a lucrative two-year contract by Al Ittihad. Reports across Europe claim that the contract offer is worth €100m per year.


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Suggestions that Benzema could be set to accept said offer were further stoked by a post on Instagram from Javier Atalaya, his personal trainer at Real Madrid. The post itself contained a collage of images with the pair together, however the supposed cryptic messaging behind the post has now been rebuked.

"I've never said goodbye to Karim, I just posted some fan page pics and I wasn’t paying attention to what they said. It's my fault. The future of Karim is a mystery for me too," Atalaya said.

Sources have told 90min that Real Madrid have been working on transfers with the expectation that Benzema will be at the club next season. The club are currently in talks to sign veteran striker Joselu from recently-relegated Espanyol on a free transfer to act a back-up for the Real Madrid captain.

If Benzema does leave, Los Blancos may ignite interest in Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen - two players that the club have had a long-term admiration of.


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