Tag Archives: Karim Benzema

No Chance: Blow In Liverpool £50m Striker Chase

Liverpool have been consistently linked with a stunning £50 million bid for Real Madrid’s striker Karim Benzema.

It is thought that Benzema is not particularly rated by the manager Carlo Ancelotti or the club’s hierarchy, and despite his relatively decent record for the Spanish side, there is word that the giants would be willing to accept a bid that met their valuation of him.

However, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has shot down the claims that Real are willing to sell him.

He has insisted that Real president Florentino Perez, contrary to reports, is actually a big fan of Benzema, and there is no way that the Champions League holders will let him depart in the near future.

He tweeted: “Totally impossible that Benzema leaves Madrid in January. Essential to the team and a president favourite. The club has confirmed that too.”

This will come as a blow to Liverpool, who had clearly identified Benzema as an option to improve their struggling strikeforce, as reported by the Daily Star.

The likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert have failed to fill Luis Suarez’s boots since their arrivals, and Daniel Sturridge has spent large swathes of the season on the treatment table.

Buy Him, Brendan: How This €41M Liverpool Target Showed His PL Pedigree Last Night

Liverpool have struggled offensively since the start of the new campaign, with the club failing to adequately replace their talismanic striker Luis Suarez over the summer.

The Uruguayan left Anfield to move to Catalan giants Barcelona, and having fired them to an unlikely title challenge last season, it was obvious that the Reds would have to bring in another equally talented striker to maintain their forward momentum.

What they got instead was Rickie Lambert, who is a good option in reserve, and Mario Balotelli, who has undoubtedly struggled to impress since his move from AC Milan towards the end of the summer transfer window.

At £16 million, his purchase seemed like something of a no brainer, given the undoubted quality that he possesses somewhere in his game, but his display against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend summed up his inability to settle.

Not only did he miss chance after chance, but he regularly chose to shoot when the opportunity wasn’t there, stopping teammates from breaking through in the process.

It is therefore unsurprising that Liverpool are reportedly targeting further striking recruits in January, and one player that has been regularly mentioned for that is Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.

There have always been some doubts over Benzema, who has never truly settled since moving to Real for €41 million from Lyon in 2009.

It seems, in theory, like it would be the easiest task in the world to score on a regular basis while being fed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Angel Di Maria and Xabi Alonso, as he has been over the last few years.

75 goals in 165 games is not the most exceptional of returns either, although it would be an improvement on all of Liverpool’s current options, except for Daniel Sturridge.

However, last night Benzema proved his worth as a striker, in the ground where he could soon find himself plying his trade.

It was the nature of the goals that was particularly impressive – poachers efforts that did not give him any time to think.

In comparison with Balotelli, who is regularly caught dallying on the ball when given opportunities, he was clinical and quick to strike.

The first, a looping header at the back post, showed that he has the physical stature to handle the English game.

His second strike, which he turned in from a corner, showed a predatory instinct, a knowledge of where the goal was and the ability to put any opportunity away, something Liverpool currently miss, with Sturridge out injured.

Like Suarez before him, Benzema also works for his team, telling the press after the game, “I give my all whenever I’m on the field.”

Balotelli does not press like Suarez did, and in part, that hinders the side.

If Brendan Rodgers can get together the expected £30 million fee for Benzema, Real might be tempted into selling after their huge summer outlay.

With the likes of Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho providing opportunities around him, Benzema would get the chances to score.

That would undoubtedly improve Liverpool’s forward options, and therefore help Liverpool reach the heights that they did on a regular basis last season.

Real Look For Replacement For €41M Liverpool Target

Real Madrid have paved the way for Liverpool target Karim Benzema to leave the Santiago Bernabeu, after it was revealed that the Spanish giants have lined up a move for Paris Saint Germain’s Uruguayan international Edinson Cavani, as reported by fichajes.net.

Benzema has been consistently linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months, and Liverpool have emerged as an interested party in the French international in recent weeks.

Luis Suarez’s departure in the summer has left the Anfield club with a lack of goalscorers, and Benzema has a fantastic record in recent seasons.

Despite his decent form since the start of the new campaign, Benzema is consistently underrated at the Bernabeu, and it seems as though the club’s hierarchy are now targeting another player to take his place.

Should Real chose to move for Cavani, who is unsettled at PSG, it would almost certainly mean the end of Benzema’s time at the Bernabeu, meaning that Liverpool could swoop.