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Arsenal boss ready to sign prolific La Liga hitman if Sanchez leaves

By mac14 on July 19, 2017

According to a report in the Express, Arsene Wenger is ready to finally sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid if Alexis Sanchez leaves the club this summer.

Sanchez has just 12 months remaining on his current contract and has made it clear he wants to be playing in the Champions League – something we can’t offer him this coming season.

Arsene Wenger insists we won’t sell the Chilean international even if he doesn’t sign an extension – and some of the reasons for this decision have been outlined here.

Man City have been strongly linked but obviously we don’t want to see Alexis end up at the Etihad so it’s led to reports suggesting Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to do a deal this summer.

The Express claim the French giants have made Sanchez their number one transfer target and are looking to persuade Arsenal to cash-in as it would prevent the attacker from joining City for nothing in 12 months time.

All the signs coming out of Arsenal suggest we’re going to stick to our guns and force Sanchez to see-out the final year of his deal but if we cave and agree to sell to PSG then it looks like Wenger is ready to turn to one of his long-term targets.

The Express are citing a report from Don Balon that claims the boss has identified Karim Benzema as the man he wants to replace Sanchez and will look to finally get his hands on the Real Madrid hitman.

Benzema has been linked with Arsenal in practically every transfer window for several years and Don Balon suggest we could finally sign him this summer as Zinedine Zidane is looking to play Cristiano Ronaldo as his central striker this season.

That would cast doubt over Benzema’s first team place and he could therefore be open to the idea of a move to Arsenal. Obviously that’s an exciting proposition as the French international is one of the most prolific strikers in Europe and would be a great addition to the squad.

READ: Arsenal looking to sign Bundesliga midfielder

However, before we get too excited, I must say I have my doubts over the validity of this Don Balon report. Firstly, we’ve already spent over £50m on Alexandre Lacazette so I’m not sure where Benzema would fit in.

Secondly, he can hardly be considered as a direct replacement for Sanchez. If Alexis does go, we need a versatile attacker who plays out wide or behind the striker and that man is more than likely going to be Thomas Lemar.