Spanish Source – Chelsea And Arsenal Are Keen To Sign This La Liga Superstar

Spanish publication Don Balon states that Chelsea and Arsenal are closely monitoring Benzema’s situation at the Bernabeu. The Frenchman’s contract with Real Madrid runs till 2019 yet the club president, Florentino Perez is keen to cash in on the striker and fill the void with younger and fresher talents. It does ring true, looking at Real Madrid’s signings in recent windows.

Being flanked by Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo in Madrid’s attacking trident, or more endearingly known as BBC, Karim Benzema has been a cornerstone of the club’s success in recent years. The trio is often compared to Barcelona’s MSN – Messi, Suarez and Neymar. The 28-year-old has netted 168 goals so far with a staggering ratio of 1 goal in a little lower than two matches.

Benzema was signed from Lyon for a fee of €30 million back in 2009 and since then has only appeared to be a bargain. Perez believes that the club could reap up around £50 million for his services. The France international is currently relishing in his prime age and no signs of a drop in value or form are noticed. Names like Paulo Dybala and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are said to be in Perez’s shortlist, both highly rated stars that won’t come cheap, consequently Benzema’s sale would aid to amp up some money.

Benzema’s name constantly pops up for Arsenal whenever the transfer window unfolds. At present, Arsene Wenger’s sheer brilliance of employing Alexis Sanchez as a centre-forward has paid dividends and the Chilean international’s fabulous form is the sole reason they don’t look short on strikers. Oliver Giroud is facing a tough time to break into the first team while Lucas Perez seems to be tied to cup matches since arriving from Deportivo La Coruna. However, Benzema would certainly be an upgrade of the two strikers and opens up another dimension to their attacking play.

On a side note, the Gunners have been struggling to tie a new contract with Sanchez as the mercurial winger, alongside Mesut Ozil wants to be paid parity payment as Manchester United’s Paul Pogba. If he happens to leave, it would evidently pave the way for Benzema.

Meanwhile, the west London club are cruising at the moment with 8 wins on the trot and sitting at the peak of the table after 14 matches. Diego Costa has been firing on all cylinders too, 11 goals and 5 assists to his name already. Thus why do they need Karim Benzema? In the event there is an injury to the Spaniard, they do not have a reliable goal scorer in the ranks. Michy Batshuayi is a promising talent yet too raw to be relied on, especially with the Premier League’s pace. Moreover, he could tempt Conte to deploy a 4-4-2 system, tying together a pair of goal machines to further make life miserable for defenders.

If it comes down to a bidding war between the two teams, Chelsea are not only more capable of matching the price-tag, they can lure Benzema over with lofty wages. For the fans, it’s pretty simple, additional stardust is always welcomed.

http://www.thehardtackle.com/news/2016/12/07/transfer-rumour-chelsea-and-arsenal-keen-on-real-madrid-superstar-karim-benzema/