Gossip: Arsenal 'make Benzema bid', Barca 'watch Eriksen and Kane', Benitez 'rejects Everton'
By now, Karim Benzema must surely have a bit of a soft spot for Arsenal. Looks out for their results, monitors Mesut Ozil’s contract situation, has a chuckle at Troopz on Arsenal Fan TV now and then. And tells people in passing, “Good old Arsenal – that’s the team that’s always trying to buy me.”
Either that or he’s completely sick of the sight of Arsenal. Views them like a deeply irritating cold caller selling PPI insurance who won’t take no for an answer. Every day the same nauseating spiel. Boring, pitiful, pathetic – a scourge on society and a feeble excuse for human existence.
Let’s hope it’s not the latter, anyway, because the Gunners are apparently trying to buy him again today.
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We owe this familiar, somehow heartwarming, news to our reliable Spanish friends Don Balon. They allege – as explained in the Mirror – that Arsene Wenger has “tabled a bid” for the Real Madrid striker.
What’s more, the 29-year-old Frenchman is reportedly “keen on a switch to the Emirates”. So he does love the Gunners!
Most exciting of all is that, with one goal in 365 minutes of football so far this season, Arsenal would really be getting Benzema at the peak of his powers. Back of the net!
Zidane needs Bellerin in his life
It’s not all good news in Don Balon for Wenger though. The Iberian rumour rag also claims that he could lose a player to Madrid in the form (the exact human form!) of Hector Bellerin.
Real coach Zinedine Zidane is said to consider the young right-back “fundamental” to his squad-bolstering plans, not least because it would annoy Barcelona, who have come to deeply regret letting Bellerin leave the Nou Camp as a teenager.
Madrid president Florentino Perez has already contacted Bellerin about moving to the Bernabeu, apparently. Is that allowed?
Another couple of north London lads who could end up in La Liga are Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, who Talksport claims were “watched” by Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez during Tottenham’s Champions League draw with Madrid this week.
Meanwhile, the Sun says Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has rejected an approach from Everton to replace Ronald Koeman at Goodison Park, which can’t make the Dutchman feel very good about himself.
Elsewhere, Newcastle and Stoke are interested in a French “non-league whizzkid” called Nordine Ibouroi who has been banging in goals for fun for FC Martigues (Sun) Reading manager Jaap Stam wants to buy striker James Wilson from his former club Manchester United (Reading Chronicle) and West Ham’s Spanish goalkeeper Adrian wants to quit the Hammers in January to rescue his dream of going to the World Cup (Mirror). He can’t get in West Ham’s team, but he thinks he’d get in Spain’s?
