Benzema is reportedly close to leaving Real! Sheikhs offer millions, who would replace him?

Until recently, it was taken for granted that Karim Benzema would continue at Real Madrid next season. But according to recent reports, he is currently closer to leaving than staying.

Karim Benzema had the year of his life last season. He led Real Madrid to win the Champions League and La Liga, scored a bunch of goals and crowned the year by winning the Ballon d’Or.

But his performances have fallen off a lot in the last one. He was also injured for a large part of the season and was not as good in the Champions League as he was last year. In particular, his performance at Manchester City outraged the fans.

He’s 35 years old now and age has to have an impact somewhere. Allegedly, according to several major Spanish media, Benzema is currently considering leaving.

He has a lucrative offer on the table from Saudi Arabia. He could earn up to 200 million euros over two years. It’s true that Benzema’s motivation has been reduced over the year. He has already achieved his goal of the Ballon d’Or, he has been almost uninteresting in a lot of games, he hasn’t put on much of a show.

Reportedly, Benzema didn’t even like the criticism after the Citizens game. Arancha Rodríguez, a reporter specialising in Real Madrid, said that Benzema’s behaviour after the failed match against City was strange, the Frenchman has not made any comments since then about whether he will stay or leave.

She then added that Benzema is currently closer to leaving than staying, as the Arab sheikhs are luring him with huge sums.

Benzema’s replacement

So what would possibly happen at the Santiago Bernabéu if Benzema does indeed decide to leave? Florentino Pérez would have to roll out a Plan B, which he didn’t really want to resort to.

After all, he initially only wanted to find a replacement for Benzema, with talk of Espanyol’s Joselu or Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.

However, with Benzema’s departure, he would have to find a new elite striker. And the choice should fall on Harry Kane. But there’s a catch. Tottenham are known for their relentless negotiating with owner Daniel Levy, something Real are not keen to get involved in, according to Relevo, as Levy is bargaining down to the last euro.

On the other hand, Real have a slight advantage in that Levy would rather sell Kane abroad than to another Premier League team. This could shift the negotiations slightly.

Source: Relevo, Arancha Rodríguez