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Hunter: Madrid Want To Sell Benzema To Arsenal To Fund Suarez Move
An interesting development on our striker search today with respected Spanish journalist, Graham Hunter, telling talkSPORT that Real Madrid are prepared to sell Karim Benzema to Arsenal to fund their move for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez.
Widespread reports on Thursday morning claim we are in talks with Madrid for Benzema as well as winger Angel Di Maria, with the Telegraph claiming the Spaniard’s have given us encouragement a deal can be done for around £40m.
Most people’s immediate reaction was ‘bullshit’, as it seems highly unlikely that Madrid would be willing to sell both Benzema and Higuain in the same summer.
However, Spanish journalist Graham Hunter claims this has been the plan all along and the Madrid hierarchy set out this summer to completely re-shape their attacking line-up. The priority was Bale and Higuain was sacrificed in order to raise funds for the Welshman.
But Hunter suggests that Suarez has very-much been on their radar as well and with Benzema unconvincing in recent months, to the extent he was booed at the weekend by his own supporters, it seems he’s now become expendable with Real willing to sell the 25-year-old to Arsenal to fund a move for Suarez.
The La Liga expert told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show this morning:
“The dream for Madrid is not simply to complete the [Gareth] Bale deal but to swap around their strikeforce.
“Benzema has not convinced over the last ten months and was booed off at the weekend when substituted, despite scoring.
“Madrid see a scenario where they are willing to trade Benzema to get the money to try to go after [Luis] Suarez. That’s their strategy.”
Suarez has made it clear he wants out of Anfield and would no doubt jump at the chance of moving to the Bernabeu, while Liverpool will surely be more receptive to selling their disgruntled star abroad rather than to Arsenal.
So this could actually work out well for everyone. Apart from Liverpool, of course. The majority of Arsenal fans would love to have Benzema on board with sections not overly enthusiastic at the thought of Suarez making the move to the Emirates.
Maybe this was the plan all along? Our move for Suarez always seemed a little odd. Perhaps we purposely unsettled Suarez and Liverpool so the Merseysiders would end up being relieved to sell to Madrid, while we could then fund the move by taking Benzema off their hands? Maybe a little far fetched, but it would explain a few things!
Let’s see how this goes, but with Wenger promising a busy last 10 days, it’s gearing up to be an exciting end to the summer for Arsenal fans.
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