Arsenal Transfer News: Karim Benzema Fee Set by Real Madrid in Latest Rumours

Arsenal could snag Real Madrid's Karim Benzema for £50 million, but coach Arsene Wenger fears Manchester United will attempt to gazump the deal, according to reports.

Harry Pratt of the Daily Star says the Gunners will meet Los Blancos valuation for the world-class striker—and the Frenchman is now prepared to move to London. 

If the Galacticos accept the offer from Wenger, the deal would break Arsenal's current record transfer fee; the £42 million paid for Mesut Ozil, per Pratt. 

Pratt quotes a Madrid insider commenting on Benzema's potential exit, saying: ‘‘It’s up to Arsenal to fight for Karim with a big offer. Then he could be their player in this window.”

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However, the player's agent, Karim Djaziri, has moved quickly to play down any talk of a move to the Premier League, telling Sky Sports (h/t Joe Short of the Express) Benzema is content at the Bernabeu: "Karim is very happy at Real Madrid and he will be a Real Madrid player by the end of this transfer window, 1000 percent, Karim is not looking to move anywhere this summer."

There is little doubt only an exceptional transfer fee will take the France international away from Los Blancos, and the failures of last season could see further change at Real. 

But Sport (h/t Harrison Mead of Squawka.com) report president Florentino Perez wants the striker to remain in the Spanish capital, despite manager Rafael Benitez's request for fresh attacking talent. 

However, the buzz surrounding Benzema to Arsenal has consistently grown, with pundit Rodney Marsh telling TalkSport one of his trusted sources had revealed the player will join the Gunners:

"I had a phone call from a mate of mine, and he’s been right on many things, and he said that he believes Real Madrid have accepted a bid somewhere in the region of £48million for [Karim] Benzema from Arsenal. In the past this guy has always been right, he’s never been wrong yet, so we’ll have to wait and see."

Benzema would have the potency Wenger requires at the point of his attack. The striker has consistently returned good numbers since his move to the Spanish capital from Lyon, with the 27-year-old hitting 15 goals and providing 10 assists in 29 La Liga games last term, per WhoScored.com.

But any talk of an imminent transfer seems to be premature, as the Frenchman rejoined Real Madrid training on Monday after his recent injury layoff, per the club's official website.

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In other news, prodigious Arsenal talent Gedion Zelalem will leave the club on loan and join Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers until January. 

The Press Association's Ronnie Esplin (h/t the Daily Mail) writes the 18-year-old will start training with his new team-mates on Monday, as confirmed by Rangers manager Mark Warburton: "I am delighted to get hold of him. I would like to welcome him on board. He is another young, very talented player."

Zelalem is considered to be one of Wenger's current great youth products, and is set to have an excellent career in English football. But he certainly needs matches under his belt, and a move to Scotland will help him achieve this.

The rumours surrounding Benzema are set to continue until Sept. 1, and with Arsenal needing an alternative to Olivier Giroud, Wenger will be forced to spend big in order to buy genuine quality.

Benzema can be the missing piece in the Wenger jigsaw, and lead the Gunners to the Premier League title. He will bring goals and assists with him in abundance, and give Arsenal's midfield a world-class option ahead of them on the pitch.