Spanish Press: Madrid Chasing Karim Benzema Spanish sports daily Marca claims that Real Madrid's search for young striking talent continues, with Lyon star Karim Benzema being their next target...
Karim Benzema could be Real Madrid's next striking target, at least according to Spanish sports daily Marca.
The paper had previously reported that Madrid were on the lookout for a young striker, their current front line both about to turn the wrong side of 30, with David Villa being top of their list.
However, the Valencia hitman's release clause currently weighs in at 150 million euros, complicating matters severely.
Benzema, then, may come cheaper. At just 19, he's already an established French international and is currently top scorer in Ligue 1, too.
The Lyon forward has hit 11 goals in 11 games domestically, not to mention a European effort midweek during Les Gones' victory over Stuttgart.
Marca goes on to note that much of Madrid's transfer business was conducted towards the end of the window in summer; while arch-rivals Barcelona essentially had their squad finalised by July, Madrid were still making waves right until the end of August.
Apparently, that's something that they wish to avoid this time around, thus the early moves for a striker. Of course, that could just be a Marca-borne observation that justifies transfer rumour-mongering in October.
But with the main young forward at the club - Soldado - clearly not in Bernd Schuster's immediate plans, perhaps there's truth in the current Bernabeu striker search...
Goal.com