Following Karim Benzema's decision to retire from international duty, the Real Madrid star could reportedly yet make a return to the France fold, but only on one condition.
The 35-year-old surprised many when he announced his international retirement on Monday afternoon just hours after Les Bleus' defeat to Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final.
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Benzema returned to the national team in 2021 after a six-year exile due to his involvement in a blackmail scandal with his former France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
However, the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner has quit the 2018 World Cup winners little more than a year after returning to the fold, with reports suggesting that Didier Deschamps' decision to not recall him to the World Cup squad played a role in his retirement and that the relationship between the manager and striker is broken.
Now, according to Foot Mercato, Benzema could yet reverse his retirement if Deschamps is replaced by former Real boss Zinedine Zidane.
A decision regarding the 54-year-old will be made in the near future, per L'Equipe, but it is understood that both French Football Federation chief Noel Le Graet and France president Emmanuel Macron want the head coach to remain as manager of Les Bleus.
If Deschamps continues in his role, it is said he will demand a contract up until 2026, when the next edition of the World Cup takes place.
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Interestingly, Benzema's club teammate Toni Kroos believes that Zidane would be the perfect successor to Deschamps.
"I definitely think Zizou would not only be a good successor but the best possible successor," Kroos said, per Diario AS.
"The big question is: what does Didier Deschamps want?
"I'd say there's a 70/30 chance for Zizou to become France's new coach.
"I think he really wants to get back on to the training field."
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