Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Karim Benzema, Wojciech Szczesny Rumours

Arsenal have continued their pursuit of Karim Benzema, but Real Madrid appear determined to keep hold of their man.

According to beIN Sports correspondent Tancredi Palmeri (h/t Louis Sealey of Metro), the Gunners put in a €45 million (£31.3 million) bid for the Frenchman:

The striker scored 22 goals and made 11 assists in all competitions last season, and as WhoScored.com notes, Benzema's lethal finishing and selfless nature put him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of goal contribution:

Another centre-forward to partner or alternate with Olivier Giroud would help Arsenal take a big step toward launching a genuine title challenge next season.

However, it does not look likely that Benzema will be the striker Arsenal bring in.

As Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reported in December, the France international will not be allowed to depart the Bernabeu any time soon:

Further, Benzema's agent, Karim Djaziri, downplayed the idea of Benzema leaving in June. Per Adam Skinner of the Daily Mail, he said: "He's happy in Madrid. He doesn't want to leave. Benzema would only leave if Real Madrid told him he was surplus to requirements, because he isn't going to leave of his own accord."

As Los Blancos have not recruited any forwards this summer, Benzema appears to be staying put.

But should they bring a marquee striker in, then Arsenal may find another attempted bid to be more fruitful.

Ajax Consider Wojciech Szczesny as a Replacement for Jasper Cillessen 

According to Rob Draper of the Daily Mail, "Ajax director of football Marc Overmars has been in contact with Arsenal to inquire about the availability of Wojciech Szczesny because the Dutch club expect to lose their goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to Manchester United."

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Should David De Gea's move to Real Madrid come to fruition, United could pursue the Dutch stopper, meaning Ajax will need a new No. 1.

As Petr Cech and David Ospina are ahead of Szczesny in the Gunners' pecking order, the Pole would likely welcome a move to a Champions League club and a return to regular football.

According to WhoScored.com, Szczesny has kept 48 clean sheets in 132 league appearances since 2009-10.

The 25-year-old also maintained an impressive 63.4 per cent passing accuracy in that time, which would suit Ajax well as they like to dominate possession of the ball.

While Szczesny is perhaps a slight downgrade on Cillessen, the move would ultimately suit all parties as Arsenal get to offload a player surplus to requirements, Szczesny will see a return to first-team action and Ajax will acquire a relatively young but experienced No. 1.

Whether the 'keeper moves will all hinge on De Gea.

If he heads to Madrid, expect the goalkeeping merry-go-round to continue as United make a move for Cillessen and Ajax approach Arsenal. 

Should United keep the Spaniard for the final year of his contract, Szczesny will probably—and most likely unsuccessfully—remain at the Emirates for another season in a bid to win back his No. 1 spot from Cech.