The end is near: Benzema bids farewell to Al-Hilal and his replacement comes from England

The complicated exit..

Karim Benzema could be on his way out of Al-Hilal this summer. Italian head coach Simone Inzaghi has no plans to build around the veteran French striker, according to press reports, and the club are already moving to sign his replacement from the English Premier League.

Al-Hilal are considering terminating Benzema's contract, which runs until next summer, to clear the way for a new striker. That's according to Sky Sport and Spanish newspaper AS, who name Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins as the leading candidate to succeed the Frenchman.

Money and contracts stand in the way. Benzema receives part of his salary from bodies linked to the Saudi Pro League, Sky Sport report, which makes tearing up the deal far trickier than a simple agreement between player and club.

Cut Benzema loose and the club would first need sign-off from the league and the relevant bodies. That explains why ending the relationship remains so difficult right now, even though Al-Hilal want it wrapped up quickly so they can register a new striker.

Benzema, per AS, has demanded his full salary for the final season of his contract if Al-Hilal pull the plug. Neither the club's management nor the league are willing to grant it, and negotiations between the parties have grown more tangled as a result.

The 38-year-old joined Al-Hilal from rivals Al-Ittihad in a huge deal last February. Now, only months into life with "the Boss", his future is anything but certain.

His season began normally enough. Benzema converted a penalty in Al-Hilal's 4-2 win over Al-Faisaly on the opening weekend of the Saudi Pro League, only to make his frustration plain when substituted in the 70th minute. The scene did nothing to calm the speculation about his relationship with the coaching staff.

Watkins sits top of the list of options to reinforce the attack while Al-Hilal weigh up letting Benzema go. The English striker is tied to Aston Villa until 2028, so any deal would mean negotiating with the Villans.

All of this plays out against a backdrop of changing rules on foreign players in Saudi competitions. Clubs can currently register eight foreigners in their league squad, rising to 10 in the King's Cup and the Saudi Super Cup.