Real Madrid Transfer News: Karim Benzema Sale Considered Amid Arsenal Rumours

Real Madrid could be ready to offload striker Karim Benzema, with Arsenal standing by to capture the French international if president Florentino Perez shows the player the door.

El Confidencial (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Mirror) reported the Gunners "will be given the chance" to sign the controversial forward, as Benzema's off the pitch activities weigh heavily. The player is involved in a court case due to allegations of blackmailing France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, and Perez could cut ties with the striker as a result. 

Arsenal have struggled to find a world-class forward to supplement their goalscoring in recent years, relying heavily on Olivier Giroud as the side's only physical attacker. Benzema's acquisition would quickly correct this problem for manager Arsene Wenger, and the Frenchman is a long-term admirer of his compatriot, per James Olley of the London Evening Standard.

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Madrid were thought to be prepared to sell the player to Arsenal before the end of the previous transfer window, and pundit Rodney Marsh told talkSPORT's Sports Bar that one of his trusted sources had revealed news of a £48 million deal to him at the time:

"I had a phone call from a mate of mine, and he’s been right on many things, and he said that he believes Real Madrid have accepted a bid somewhere in the region of £48 million for [Karim] Benzema from Arsenal. In the past this guy has always been right, he’s never been wrong yet, so we’ll have to wait and see."

Despite the recent scandal, Benzema has claimed the case with Valbuena is a simple misunderstanding, and told French TV station TF1 (h/t BBC News): "Hopefully it will end well, we will all be OK. We will all return to the France team to win that Euro [2016]."

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The attacker was once again in tremendous form last season for Real as he hit 21 goals and provided 11 assists in 38 La Liga and Champions League appearances, per WhoScored.com. However, recent events have cast a shadow over his career at the Bernabeu, and threaten his future in La Liga. 

Madrid will target Manchester City's Sergio Aguero if they have a vacancy in attack, and they could move for the Argentina international if Cristiano Ronaldo chooses to depart Los Blancos. Le10 Sport (via AS, h/t Football Espana) claimed Perez had singled out Aguero as his next Galactico signing, after previously chasing the player while he featured for Atletico Madrid.

However, Aguero cast a blow to Real's aspirations of capturing him, saying he will remain at City until the end of his current deal in 2019, before returning to his first club in Argentina—South American giants Independiente, per So Foot (h/t Sky Sports):

"I have always said that I want to return to Independiente and I will do just that," Aguero said. "I will return to Independiente when my contract with City expires. I do not want to make my comeback when I am too old. If everything goes well, I will return to the club of my heart at the age of 31."

Ronaldo would be a huge chasm to fill, but the loss of Benzema would also be a difficult hurdle for Madrid to navigate.

The French player has been consistent during the team's brightest years recently, and he played a prevalent role in the club's Champions League success in 2014.

A move to Arsenal would be a great challenge to Benzema, who has played in La Liga since 2009, and the new £5 billion TV deal in the Premier League—as reported by BBC News—will ensure incredible riches are on offer to freshly imported talent.

The Gunners will be a tempting prospect for the player, as Wenger searches for a world-class striker to help complete the jigsaw puzzle at the Emirates Stadium.