Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema offered to Premier League giants on short-term loan deal: Reports
Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema has reportedly been offered to Chelsea. The Frenchman is looking to leave Al-Ittihad and has been linked with a return to Europe.
As per a report in HITC, Benzema's future at Al-Ittihad is in doubt, as the striker has been at odds with the Saudi Pro League club. They are yet to solve the undisclosed issue despite talks and an exit on loan is expected this month.
The 36-year-old was linked with a move to Arsenal by TEAMtalk, while The Guardian have reported interest from Lyon. The British newspaper also claims that Chelsea are slowly showing interest and could make a move soon.
The Blues are looking to add a striker to their roster this month but are only interested in a short-term deal. They are open to loaning Karim Benzema but will need the Frenchman to reduce his wages drastically.
Chelsea urged to avoid signing Karim Benzema by former player
Pat Nevin has urged his former club to avoid signing Karim Benzema. He believes that the Blues should go for someone like Evan Ferguson instead and added that they needed to learn from the loan mistakes of the past.
Nevin told OCB Scores:
"How many times have Chelsea gone down that route of signing an experienced striker? You think of the certain strikers that Chelsea have signed in the latter stages of their career, the likes of Shevchenko, I could go through a number of them. They are all brilliant but very few of them scored a lot of goals for the club. On the other hand, if you are creating a number of chances which Chelsea are, maybe you just need someone who can put the ball in the net."
He added:
"It's such a short-termist thing and it's so against what the ethos has been from the club. It would be surprising but does it mean it won't happen? Absolutely not. It would be interesting but Evan Ferguson would be the more obvious one to go for. If you're going down the route of signing a young striker, Ferguson would be the one I would look at. Someone is needed upfront because when we're asking Cole Palmer, Chelsea's best player, to play upfront with his back to goal, of course he can do it but you're putting your best player out of position."
Chelsea are also open to selling Armando Broja, as per The Guardian, and are looking for a suitable offer. Karim Benzema has scored 12 goals and assisted five in 20 games this season and could be a short-term solution to their striking woes.