Arsenal Transfer News: Karim Benzema Breakthrough Made, Latest Gunners Rumours

Real Madrid are ready to accept a £40 million bid from Arsenal for striker Karim Benzema, according to Fichajes (h/t Metro).

Metro's report noted Benzema is the "top target" of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and Madrid will focus on luring Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus to the Bernabeu if he leaves.

However, B/R UK's Guillem Balague doesn't expect Benzema to move away from the Spanish capital this summer:

Madrid have already turned down a £31 million offer from Wenger for the player, according to Metro (h/t Joe Short of the Express). An alternative Metro report (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star) indicated Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski could be the subject of a £35 million bid if attempts to lure Benzema prove futile, as originally tweeted by Kike Marin of El Confidencial.

Benzema would be a stunning signing for the Gunners, someone who could turn them into genuine title-contenders. He is a physical threat, someone who can spread play and, most importantly, round off attacking moves.

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New Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has pushed Cristiano Ronaldo closer to Benzema in pre-season, offering tighter, short-passing play in the centre, particularly during the 4-1 win over Manchester City. Finding a suitable balance between all-out attack and defensive solidity will be key to Rafa's chances of success at the Bernabeu, especially after Carlo Ancelotti failed miserably in this department last term.

Arsenal fans will no doubt be looking for hints toward Benzema's future after he released a cryptic Instagram post which read, "Leave the past to the past. #directionfuture," translated by James Orr of the Independent. 

However, Orr suggested that the picture may have been old, and he appeared during a promotional event for Madrid on Wednesday, as tweeted by the club:

Wenger has made it clear he won't spend for the sake of it, but rather to add final touches to a squad who have won two trophies in as many seasons. His recent comments were reported by Arsenal's Twitter account:

Tancredi Palmeri of beIN Sports previously reported Wenger's alleged €8 million bid for Juventus striker Fernando Llorente. B/R UK's Jonathan Johnson expects Llorente to make the move, but he doesn't believe Benzema is obtainable for Arsenal:

Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott will be watching the latest rumours with intrigue. They will be hoping to hush any critics with a match-winning display during Sunday's Community Shield fixture with Chelsea, perhaps halting rumours of a big-money move for Benzema or Lewandowski in the process.

Wenger's squad needs three fit and firing strikers to tackle four competitions without becoming stretched, though, as we saw with Chelsea last term. With plenty of cash in the bank and just over a month of the transfer window remaining, Wenger is yet to make his biggest play of the summer.