Arsenal Transfer News: Karim Benzema Blow, Latest on Mario Gotze and Marco Reus

For those Arsenal supporters who preserved hopes of landing Karim Benzema this summer, any lingering chances that a deal can be done have been ruled out.

According to Bleacher Report’s Guillem Balague, the Frenchman will not be leaving Real Madrid for any club this summer, including the Gunners:

As noted by Sean Morrison of talkSPORT, social media was set ablaze earlier this week when the Frenchman posted an image of himself on a plane with an accompanying message of “let’s leave the past behind us.” But it now looks extremely unlikely the Gunners will be able to strike a deal for the former Lyon man.

It’s understandable that Real would be reluctant to let Benzema go. The forward is an all-round contributor to the team, as we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com:

Indeed, a lot Benzema’s work goes unnoticed by those who tune in for Real Madrid matches. He’s a superb foil for the dynamic talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, plus his intelligent darts off the ball make life easy for intricate attacking midfielders like Isco and James Rodriguez.

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez is someone who has previously picked up on just how vital Benzema is to the Los Blancos cause:

Rafa Benitez has a formidable squad at his disposal, but at the time of writing, Benzema is the only orthodox No. 9 he has available. It's a situation that'll only harden Real's resolve to keep hold of the 27-year-old, and it means Arsenal fans will have to continue admiring this multifaceted forward from afar.

Mario Gotze and Marco Reus Updates

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

Sadly for the Emirates faithful, it’s more bad news when it comes to reported Arsenal targets, with Borussia Dortmund director of communications Sascha Fligge telling ESPN FC (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Daily Star) that there is no way the club will sell Marco Reus in the window.

“Marco Reus will not leave Borussia Dortmund this summer,” Fligge emphatically declared. “That's a 100 per cent certainty.”

PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty Images

According to Sport Bild (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) the Gunners were willing to shell out a whopping £48 million to prise Reus away from the Westfalenstadion. But with their hopes apparently dashed in pursuit of one German international star, could the club turn to another instead?

Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft thinks there is plenty of exciting talent in the German top flight but says the following quintet have little chance of making a transfer this summer:

"

(Un) realistic stars 2 get in Germany Draxler, Götze, Müller, De Bruyne and Reus Become a subscriber http://t.co/fwT2PyU5s4

— Jan Aage Fjortoft (@JanAageFjortoft) July 30, 2015"

One of the most intriguing names on that list is Mario Gotze, who has been linked with a move to the Gunners previously, per Bruce Archer of the Daily Express. After a curious revelation, it seems as though the former Dortmund man might be keen on lining up in the Arsenal midfield, too.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

That’s because Gotze named Arsenal starlet Jack Wilshere as one of the five players that would make up his fantasy five-a-side team, per Anderson’s piece: “I played against him in the under-17 European Championship, he's a fantastic player.”

Bleacher Report UK were a little surprised at the England man's inclusion:

Wolfsburg have also been linked with the player as part of an exchange deal with Kevin De Bruyne, but the club’s sporting director, Klaus Allofs, has dismissed that notion, per Kicker (h/t Stefan Coerts of Goal.com):

"

Player exchange deals do not always make sense. Gotze has a lot of qualities, he has shown that at Borussia Dortmund and with Germany. He has yet to make an impact at Bayern.

But we are not even considering swapping any one. I am satisfied with the situation as it is

"

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

The links between Gotze and Arsenal are very tenuous at this point. As noted in Archer’s piece, Bayern’s club president, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, told Kicker the youngster will not be sold this summer.

He'd be a brilliant fit at Arsenal and a talent manager Arsene Wenger would surely love to draft in if possible. For a talent as exciting as Gotze, it is important he begins to get minutes on a more regular basis in the first team. If the situation hasn't changed in 12 months' time, perhaps talk of Gunners interest will start to be taken a little more seriously.