Finally ✅: Karim Benzema announcement ongoing now at London colney, 1yr contract signed, medical done already – Here we go
Arsenal are preparing to complete a January trade for former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
Benzema, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, presently plays for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Professional League after leaving Los Blancos as a free agent, but according to TeamTalk, the striker is dissatisfied with life in the Middle East and wishes to return to Europe.
The 36-year-old striker has piqued the interest of Chelsea, who are searching for an extra force to help them climb the Premier League ladder, but they will have no opposition from Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, where manager Mikel Arteta wants a proven goalscorer to fight with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in attack.
Benzema, who started his career at Lyon, is second in Real Madrid’s all-time scoring list, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo, with 354 goals for the Bernabeu club.
Arsenal are interested in Benzema, but only if they can sign him on loan.
During this transfer window, the Gunners were linked with Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, but both were priced out of the market.
Chelsea is keeping an eye on a similar set of strikers, since they, like Arsenal, are struggling to locate a player within their budget this month.