Arsenal Transfer News: Karim Benzema Interest '100% Real,' Latest Rumours

Arsenal’s interest in Karim Benzema may have been dismissed by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, per the club’s official website, but according to a “top Spanish journalist,” it’s very real indeed.

As noted by Jamie Sanderson of Metro, that man  is “transfer insider” David Alonso, who has told Cadena SER radio that the Londoners are willing to part with a whopping €60 million to lure the Frenchman to the Emirates Stadium.

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“In Benzema’s case, the interest is 100 percent real,” said Alonso, per Sanderson’s piece. “We can confirm that Arsenal are looking for a No. 9, that they have a lot of money to buy him and that their priority is Karim Benzema. Wenger is ready to invest €60 million (£41.9 million) to to buy a star.”

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe examined which of the latest rumours surrounding Arsenal are likely to materialise, including their reported pursuit of Benzema:

Although Alonso is apparently well respected, you’d have to take the word of Wenger over his. In addition, on the other side of the deal, Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has revealed that the club’s No. 9 will be going nowhere in the final knockings of the summer window, as noted by Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail:

There’s little doubt Benzema would be a fine purchase for Arsenal. Not only does he add cultured play and intelligent movement at the point of the attack, the ex-Lyon man is a dead-eye in front of goal. It’s those predatory instincts that the Gunners have occasionally lacked and something that would come to the fore with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla providing a supply line.

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As noted by WhoScored.com, Benzema has been a consistent, all-round contributor during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu:

His capture would be to Arsenal’s gain, but looking at those statistics and the lack of other orthodox striker options, why on earth would Madrid sell up? Even if Wenger’s claim that the club have no interest is a facade, that’ll ultimately be the key issue. With less than a month remaining in the transfer window, it’s unlikely Benitez wants to rejig his forward line.

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Celebrity Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan has yet to give up hope in the club’s pursuit, though, citing the capture of Petr Cech from Chelsea as inspiration:

As Tighe noted, this is a rumour that has run for seasons and seasons without anything materialising. Perhaps it’s because the Gunners still need a world-class striker. Maybe it’s because Benzema is an unpopular figure among some Madridistas in the Spanish capital. It could even be because he doesn’t burn as brightly as Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

But those who watch Madrid weekly will know just how important a role the Frenchman plays, and that’s something that will not have been lost on Benitez. If Benzema was donning the iconic No. 9 jersey for anyone other than Real Madrid in 2015-16, it would be a massive surprise.