Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Karim Benzema, Arturo Vidal, More

The international break means top clubs like Real Madrid won't be active for a short while, and as a result, the rumour mill is once again working overtime. Los Blancos are always involved in the biggest transfer stories, and it looks like the January window won't be any different.

The Champions League holders have shifted gear after a rough start to the season and are finding their form at just the right time, but Florentino Perez would love nothing more than to add to his already impressive squad when the market reopens.

Here's the latest buzz surrounding Real's transfer plans heading into the January window.

Karim Benzema

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly so keen on striker Karim Benzema he called him up personally to discuss a potential transfer, according to Fichajes.net (h/t Metro).

The France international has scored five goals for Los Blancos so far (per WhoScored.com), but his main value for Carlo Ancelotti lies in his ability to hold up the ball and work as a distributor for advancing forwards.

The 26-year-old excels at finding open lanes and playing short passes with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, and his proficiency in the air is another strong weapon for Madrid.

As shared by WhoScored.com, his ability to pass the ball truly can't be overstated:

There's no doubt the Gunners would love to have a player of his calibre, but given his importance to Ancelotti and his system, he won't leave the Spanish capital at a discount, if he leaves at all.

With Los Blancos in the thick of the race for silverware, a January transfer seems all but impossible. If the Frenchman leaves the club, it will be during the summer.

Arturo Vidal

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Chilean media claim Arturo Vidal's agent is in talks with Real Madrid regarding a possible transfer, as Juventus are ready to cash in on the prolific midfielder, per Football-Italia.

Vidal was linked with a transfer to Manchester United throughout the summer, with Chilean newspaper El Mercurio claiming a deal was struck on several occasions, as reported by the Daily Express' Alex Harris.

The newspaper's wild claims became something of a running joke among United blogs, via Stretty News:

It's perfectly possible Real would be interested in Vidal. The 27-year-old is one of the world's best box-to-box midfielders when healthy, combining pace and physical strength with a healthy work ethic and plenty of scoring ability.

But as long as the only sources telling us about Fernando Felicevich's supposed talks with Los Blancos are Chilean, fans shouldn't get too excited. And given the clear needs of the likes of United in midfield, a move to the Premier League still appears the more likely outcome.

Sami Khedira

Jose Ignacio Unanue/Associated Press

Sami Khedira's move away from Madrid seems all but certain at this point, and Gianluca Di Marzio's Enrico Passarella knows the German international has his eyes set on the Premier League:

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Milan’s CEO Galliani told the truth about Khedira. They like him a lot. They discussed him with Real Madrid in the past summer. He was in the list of players that Florentino Perez was willing to sell to the friend Adriano, which included Diego Lopez.

But Milan’s attempt stopped when they received the requests of the entourage of the players. Khedira earns €5M net in Madrid and asked to almost double that. Clearly Khedira wants to cash in as much as possible on his contractual situations: his deal expires in June and so he will be able to sign for any team in February.

[...]The intuition is that Khedira has already found an agreement with another club and that he will sign as soon as possible. The signals lead to the Premier League, Arsenal are favorites over Chelsea, anyway Mou knows him well. Khedira seems destined to move to England, if the recent whispers will be confirmed.

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Arsenal still appear to be the favourites, and former Gunners legend Robert Pires told the Daily Telegraph (h/t to beIN Sports) Khedira might be the final piece to the puzzle for Wenger:

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The quality is there but you need more, maybe [someone] like Yaya Toure in middle. He reminds me of Patrick Vieira, maybe they have an opportunity with Khedira.

It is likely in the January window. He played very well with Germany. My advice is if he can buy Khedira he can be the Vieira, more aggression in the middle.

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Khedira's contract will run out in June, and at this point the biggest question for Real is whether they can move him on in January, or if they will be forced to watch him walk on a free transfer in the summer.

The World Cup hero has hardly featured during the 2014-15 season (two substitute appearances, per WhoScored.com), due to recent knee surgery keeping him out of contention, and with plenty of other options for the central areas available, Madrid would have no issues moving the player mid-season.

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