Karim Benzema a doubt ahead of Lyon return

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema will almost certainly miss out on a return to Lyon, after medical tests revealed he will be sidelined for at least a week.

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Karim Benzema has scored seven goals for Real this season

The France international has definitely been ruled out of this weekend's Primera Division match against Xerez and is unlikely to recover in time for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash next Tuesday.

The news will be a big disappointment to Benzema, who progressed through the ranks at Lyon and was a key player for the French giants until his departure last summer.

A brief statement on the Real website read: "After a physical examination and an MRI carried out today in the Hospital Sanitas La Moraleja on the player Karim Benzema, swelling on the left adductor muscle has been diagnosed. Estimated layoff: seven days, depending on his clinical progress.''

Meanwhile, Real striker Gonzalo Higuain insists he would love to remain at the Bernabeu for many more years.

Speculation was rife in the summer that Higuain was set to leave Madrid after they splashed out on the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Inter Milan said to be among the interested parties.

However, the 22-year-old is currently the club's leading scorer with 12 league goals to his name this season and reports suggest Madrid are preparing to offer him a new deal which would tie him to the club until 2016.

When asked if he wanted to stay at Madrid for the rest of his career, Higuain replied: "It would be a very big dream to stay here for a long time.

"I am very happy and I would love to stay here many years, but that is something that my agent, who is my father, is dealing with, and even though I am keeping up to date with it, I am focused on the matches. You earn a new deal playing on the pitch and scoring goals.''

Madrid are said to be keen to offer the youngster a new deal which would see him receive a salary hike, putting him on a par with the likes of Benzema.