With rumours arising of the French international potentially arriving at The Emirates from Real Madrid could it really happen? What conditions would predate a deal?
Many a transfer rumour crops up even at this current point of negotiation ceasefire and this week has been no different. The one that has caused the most shock on a personal level was the idea of Arsenal snapping up Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.
Benzema is one of those divisive footballers; some believe he is devastating whilst others consider him over-rated and positionally naïve. On a personal note I think he is both, when he is switched on and not drifting out wide or dropping so deep to retrieve the ball all the time and just focusing on being a striker and nothing else he really can be devastating.
So is he a player Arsenal would consider buying, in a word, yes. However why would Real Madrid sell their front-man? The first two words are simple to understand, Cristiano Ronaldo; the rest is when it gets complex and involves a player who was linked with Arsenal recently among any other club in world football who has the money to purchase him. Radamel Falcao is understandably in high demand, considering he scores goals at will for Atletico Madrid and did so previously at FC Porto.
Aletico are flying high in Spain but their finances are not quite up to scratch giving free reign to many rumours surrounding a pursuit for the Colombian hitman but one team that seemed immune to such suggestions was Atletico’s city rivals Real Madrid, until now.
Now Real want to pursue Falcao in a whopping £40 million deal and selling Benzema will act as a means toward fundraising a potential deal. Benzema is considered more likely to move on then other striking rival Gonzalo Higuain, who would fetch up to £10 million less than the Frenchman. Arsenal could be put off by the transfer fee which will be as close to £30 million as Real can tempt a buyer.
With PSG also chasing him and having seemingly insurmountable amounts of cash available Arsenal may struggle in a bidding war for the 24-year-old. The deal depends on Falcao moving to Real. It would make him the first big name to do so since Santiago Solari switched The Mattress Makers for The Meringues in the year 2000.
While the lure of the Bernabeu is of course huge it still feels far more likely that Falcao is on his way to pastures new, pastures English.
‘’Radamel Falcao, he scores when he wants’’
That does have a certain ring to it.
With that in mind Benzema to Arsenal does seem slightly unlikely.
Could Karim Benzema be on his way to The Emirates?
image: © Jan S0L0
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