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Karim Benzema is set to end his 13-year association with Real Madrid to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Here's how the saga played out.

Real Madrid have confirmed that their most-decorated player, Karim Benzema, is to leave the club after 14 years, as reported by The Independent earlier this week. France striker Benzema, 35, won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid and scored 353 goals in 647 appearances to become Real’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo. “Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club,” read a club statement from the Spanish giants. “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends. “Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future. “Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football. “Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.” Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year, joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported transfer fee of 35 million euros. He is fifth on the list of players with the most Real appearances and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups. Benzema has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Ittihad, as reported by The Independent. Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez. Read More Karim Benzema weighing up €100m offer to leave Real Madrid for Saudi Arabia Real Madrid at critical juncture after impotent and powerless Champions League exit Harry Kane taking inspiration from greats as he eyes another decade at top

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Real Madrid are looking at a move for Harry Kane this summer, with Carlo Ancelotti and the club's football hierarchy having discussed the English striker as one of the few players who does not represent a downgrade on Karim Benzema. The club announced the departure of the French striker on Sunday morning, with Saudi Arabia his expected destination, but the lateness of his actual decision has caused a shift in their transfer plans for this summer. Madrid plan to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund for £130m, but were hoping to keep Benzema for one year before going big on either Erling Haaland or – much more likely – Kylian Mbappe. They are now insistent on a striker for this window, and have had several discussions over the last few days as Benzema's decision became clear. They do have money for a first lavish summer since 2019, having had very little net spend in the time since, and their financial isssues to be eased. Madrid have Benzema, Eden Hazard and Paris Saint Germain-bound Marco Asensio off the wage bill, with the expensive Bernabeu redevelopment also close to completion. That leaves a potential budget of over £200m, although it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to convince Tottenham Hotspur to sell or the player to join. While The Independent has been told that it has been made known to Madrid what wages Kane would want, there is still the belief that he wants to stay in England in order to break the Premier League goalscoring record. Spurs' position is weakened by the fact the 29-year-old now only has a year left on his contract but that has not changed Daniel Levy's hardline stance. The Spurs chairman absolutely will not countenance the sale of Kane to another Premier League club, and his preference is still to keep him for next season in the hope that a deal can still be agreed. Much will depend on the manager. At the same time, a sale to Madrid would at least represent a more palatable option. The Bernabeu hierarchy are hoping to play on this, even though they are acutely aware of how difficult it will be to negotiate with Levy. It is still expected the Spurs chairman would want as much as £200m, which would almost certainly exceed Madrid's budget. The club's policy is no longer to go after players above 29 due to a shift in order to compete with state-owned clubs but this is seen as an exceptional situation, due to the profile of forward required. It is also hoped it may not impinge on any new pursuit of Mbappe, as they hope to bring him in on a free and Kane could play with both the French striker and Vinicius Jr. Read More Karim Benzema confirms Real Madrid departure as he eyes big-money move Harry Kane sends message to Mauricio Pochettino after former boss joins Chelsea Premier League transfers: Mount and Kane linked with moves this summer

Real Madrid will step up their pursuit of Tottenham's Harry Kane after Karim Benzema's exit was confirmed.

Xavi has ruled out selling a Barcelona star who has been targeted by Arsenal.

Real Madrid’s most decorated player Karim Benzema is to leave the club after 14 years. France striker Benzema, 35, won 25 trophies during his time in Madrid and scored 353 goals in 647 appearances to become Real’s second all-time top scorer after Cristiano Ronaldo. “Real Madrid and our captain Karim Benzema have agreed to end his brilliant and unforgettable period as a player for our club,” read a club statement from the Spanish giants. “Real Madrid would like to show its gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends. “Karim Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism, and he has represented the values of our club. Karim Benzema has earned the right to decide his future. “Madridistas and all the fans around the world have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football. “Real Madrid is and will always be his home, and we wish him and all his family the best in this new stage of his life.” Benzema, the current Ballon d’Or and UEFA Player of the Year, joined Real from Lyon in July 2009 for a reported transfer fee of 35 million euros. He is fifth on the list of players with the most Real appearances and his trophy haul in Spain includes five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, four European Super Cups, four LaLiga titles, three Copas del Rey and four Spanish Super Cups. Benzema has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad. Real have confirmed they will hold “an institutional act of tribute and farewell” to Benzema in the Spanish capital on Tuesday in the presence of club president Florentino Perez. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Manchester City were greeted by singer Elton John as they touched down at Manchester Airport on their return from winning the FA Cup at Wembley. The club posted videos of the squad posing for pictures with the 76-year-old on the tarmac as they disembarked from their plane late on Saturday. Pep Guardiola said in advance of the final, which City won 2-1 against Manchester United to secure the second leg of a possible treble, that he had attended John’s concert in the city last week as he sought to take his mind off a defining period in the club’s history. The club’s Twitter feed headed one of the videos “you can tell everybody we have won the FA Cup”, a reference to a line from the 1971 hit Your Song. City were victorious at Wembley thanks to a goal in either half from Ilkay Gundogan – his first the fastest in FA Cup final history – as they added the trophy to the Premier League title they won in May. They face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday seeking to become only the second English club after Manchester United to have won all three major trophies in a single season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Two down, one to go. Perhaps it is a sign of the FA Cup’s diminishing status that it seems the least of the trio, perhaps a sign of its historic importance that Pep Guardiola sounded genuinely delighted to win it. “The emotions are so, so special,” he said. For the record, and it can be obscured by much else on a sizeable CV, he is now the only manager to win each of the main English, Spanish and German knockout competitions two times. There was a time when it represented arguably the biggest prize in the domestic game, another when the double was the ultimate achievement. Only four clubs did it in 97 years. In the last 38, nine have: over three decades, more than a quarter of champions have also ended the season with the FA Cup. It is a sign of how a concentration of resources at the top have altered the footballing landscape. Manchester City are an extreme case, even if the man who proved their Wembley match-winner, Ilkay Gundogan, was a £16m bargain. But if the 2023 FA Cup will have a greater significance than most, it is probably for two reasons. This was, in more than 150 years, the first final to double up as a Manchester derby. It may not be the last if City maintain their dominance and Erik ten Hag’s revival of Manchester United proves more than a fleeting affair. Both of these neighbours had arguably underachieved in the competition in the previous decade, even though each had won it once; they had claimed eight League Cups between them in the same time. And there is the importance of the FA Cup as part of a package, as one-third of a potential treble. If City’s legacy and reputation rests in part in the hands of the lawyers, given the 115 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations, on the field, it depends on the continent. “We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be,” said Guardiola. The idea is nothing new: the different element is that he has started to admit it as the prospect has grown likelier. Many a City fan would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League but it always felt disingenuous when Guardiola used to argue he would, too. “You have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good, so you have to win in Europe,” he has now admitted. Europe seems the final frontier for this most European of sides. The most seismic FA Cup – on its own, anyway – in City’s history may forever remain the 2011 tournament that Yaya Toure decided in their favour; it opened the floodgates. Then, there was a novelty value. Now, the distinctions can feel statistical: Gundogan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history after a mere 13 seconds. It took a contentious penalty to stop them becoming the first team since 1903 to win the competition without conceding. Their eventual goal difference was 19-1. Riyad Mahrez had delivered the first semi-final hat-trick since Alex Dawson’s in 1958. The fact the Algerian’s treble came against Sheffield United was both indicative and deceptive. “Many times we arrive in the semi-finals,” said Guardiola; they can be their undoing, the proximity of Champions League knockout ties tending to stop them flourishing on all fronts. Yet City finish this season’s competition having knocked out the teams who came second and third in the Premier League and, including Chelsea, three of the supposedly big six. They have beaten five of next season’s top flight even if two of them, Burnley and Sheffield United, had a rather greater focus on promotion. There are signs of how the FA Cup is secured this season. Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals this term but has only found the net in one FA Cup match, even if it did bring him a hat-trick against Burnley. Neither Mahrez, their top scorer in this season’s competition, nor Julian Alvarez, who was tied for second, actually took part in the final. Phil Foden, another of those to get three goals, was limited to a cameo. City’s squad is not as large as is often imagined but they have quality in such depth that their first 18 or so players are outstanding; United could reflect that theirs are perhaps not when they brought Wout Weghorst off the bench. The man who played most minutes in City’s FA Cup campaign was, indirectly, the instigator of that record-breaking goal, Stefan Ortega, whose punt forward led to Gundogan’s wondrous strike. In his own way, the second-choice goalkeeper is a reason for glory, and not merely with his collection of clean sheets. Guardiola’s willingness to pick his reserve goalkeeper has cost him in previous seasons, with Zack Steffen culpable in successive semi-final defeats. Ortega has proved an upgrade, just as City showed defensive resolve when United threatened an equaliser. But it will be Ederson who faces Internazionale, charged with completing the treble, to get the prize City want more than the FA Cup and the recognition that has eluded them Read More Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them Ilkay Gundogan, Man City’s master of timing, sets up chance for perfect goodbye Pep Guardiola urges Man City to cement greatness by winning Champions League Elton John joins Manchester City’s FA Cup celebrations Man City vs Man Utd player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan wins FA Cup final Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them

Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid this summer when his contract expires.

Fran Garcia explains what Real Madrid can expect from him as he nears a summer transfer.