Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema might serve as an obstacle to the club’s desire to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland. The veteran French striker has reportedly threatened that he might have to leave the Spanish giants if the club sign Haaland.
Recall that Erling Haaland has been one of the most sought-after strikers in the world since the 2020-2021 season in which he scored 41 goals and provided 14 assists in 41 games in all competitions.
The fact that there is a release clause in his contract which permits him to leave Borussia Dortmund for £64million next summer has made more clubs to have interest in him.
Clubs like FC Barcelona, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid are seen as the frontrunners in the pursuit of Erling Haaland’s signature.
In two successive seasons, the form of the 21-year-old Norwegian striker has not dropped a bit. In the ongoing 2021-2022 season, Haaland has scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists in 18 games in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund.
Recently the Norwegian striker told reporters that Borussia Dortmund has urged him to make his decision concerning his future and has promised to make his next move known soon. All things being equal, Real Madrid could be the next move he might go for.
But a report by Catalan online news outlet El Nacional claimed that Karim Benzema does not like the idea of Haaland joining Real Madrid. Hence, he might be forced to leave the club if the club land the striker in the coming summer.
Just like Haaland, Benzema is a prolific center-forward. The 34-year-old is one of the most consistent strikers in the game of football.
The Frenchman has been at Real Madrid since July 9, 2009. He joined the club from French Ligue 1 club, Lyon for €35 million. Since then, Karim Benzema has scored 303 goals and provided 153 assists in 586 appearances in all competitions.
So far this season, Benzema has scored 24 goals and provided 9 assists in 27 games in all competitions. He is seen as the main man at the club due to how prolific he has been in front of goal.
Reports claimed that the 34-year-old Frenchman is afraid that if Real Madrid sign Haaland, the attention would no longer be on him but the 21-year-old Norwegian striker.
Aside from that, Benzema might be benched for Haaland since they play in the same position and Haaland is younger than the Frenchman.
Hence, Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez who is reportedly leading the bid for Haaland might have to choose between Karim Benzema and the Norwegian youngster.
In the same vein, Real Madrid are pushing for the signature of Paris Saint Germain striker, Kylian Mbappe. The 22-year-old French striker wants to join Real Madrid and the Spanish side are very interested in his services but PSG are not willing to let him go cheaply.
Hence, Real Madrid might have to capitalize on the fact that his contract with PSG will expire on June 30, 2022. Once Madrid can do that, the Frenchman would join Madrid on a free transfer.
El Nacional’s report claimed that Karim Benzema is not too worried about the arrival of Mbappe even though they play in the same position. This is so because Mbappe can also play as a winger which means that his role might not be touched.
Recall that Benzema and Mbappe have played together a couple of times in France’s national team and their partnership has been flawless. Hence, such a partnership could be duplicated at Real Madrid.
Benzema’s current contract with Real Madrid will expire on June 30, 2023, and reports claimed that the Spanish La Liga giants are planning to tie him down at the club for life.
Karim Benzema best goals with Real Madrid ⚽️⚔️pic.twitter.com/RED1MprcH8
— 🅩🅘🅩🅞🅤 (@zi_53) January 17, 2022
