Real Madrid president Florentino Perez willing to sacrifice Karim Benzema to sign superstar striker: Reports
According to El Nacional, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is willing to let go of Karim Benzema to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Benzema has been in spectacular form this season and has 32 goals in 34 appearances across competitions. However, the French striker is set to turn 35 in the summer, and Perez is intent on signing Haaland. Real Madrid’s board already has a meeting scheduled with the Norwegian striker which has reportedly led to Benzema feeling undervalued.
The striker believes that he can do the job as a No. 9 for Madrid and does not want to accept a secondary role. A secondary role will almost be a certainty if Haaland is signed. Regardless, Perez is willing to let go of the veteran, with a range of clubs expected to be interested in Benzema.
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According to El Nacional, the most obvious destination for the French international appears to be Paris Saint-Germain. Club president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is reportedly obsessed with the striker. The potential signing of former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is another factor expected to help the potential move.
Karim Benzema expected to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season?
Karim Benzema has been one of the most loyal and impactful players for Madrid over the past decade. The former Lyon player has won a plethora of trophies since joining in 2009, including four Champions League titles.
He has been their primary scorer ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in 2018 for Juventus. The 34-year-old has produced some spectacular moments this season, including a recent hat-trick against PSG. He scored a second half hat-trick in the second leg of the R16 tie to overturn a 2-0 deficit against the Parisians.
Of course, considering his age, Real Madrid will know that the striker needs to be replaced in the coming time. Haaland is currently one of the most promising prospects in world football.
The Norwegian is very unlikely to stay back at Borussia Dortmund this summer. This means that Madrid will only have one opportunity to snag him in the near future.
According to SPORT, Mbappe is close to joining Los Blancos as well. The potential combination of Halaand and Kylian Mbappe is obviously mouth-watering.
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Perez knows that signing both Haaland and Mbappe will make it easier for his team to dominate for the years to come. Signing both the players is bound to result in reduced gametime for Benzema, something he is reportedly not pleased with.