The Spanish giants signed the Frenchman in the summer for €35 million with the fee rising to €41 million based on performances related with achieving certain objectives with Real Madrid. Benzema was part of the tremendous spending under club president Florentino Perez who helped launch the second era of Los Galacticos following the initial one at the turn of the century when the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Brazilian Ronaldo were all signed.
While rivals Barcelona continue to dominate in la Liga, Los Galacticos can only stare up the table in despair. The season is far from over and Barca can capitulate if they go through a difficult period considering the Madrid club are just five points behind. Record signing Cristiano Ronaldo has delivered with a plethora of goals despite having a rather inconsistent start to his career in Madrid. The other major signing Brazilian Kaka has not been as impressive and his form can be described as disappointing at best with rumours flying about a potential departure once the season ends.
As for Benzema, his numbers have not been the most impressive yet he still managed to score seven goals in 19 appearances in la Liga. Given his age, potential, and considering his hefty price-tag, it is unclear how the management of the prestigious club view his status. There were reports claiming president Perez is frustrated with Benzema and is even willing to offload him for a reduced price ranging between €20 and €25 million which could tempt a number of clubs to make a move to secure his services. During the summer, Italian giants Milan and Premier League champions Manchester United were reportedly after the promising striker. If Perez does sanction Benzema’s sale and drops his asking price, then it should be fairly easy to move the striker.
Perez is keeping an eye on Spain’s striker David Villa and would use the funds obtained from Benzema’s sale to finance the move for the Valencia player. The season is still long with many matches left so a turnaround in the performances of Benzema and Kaka could see both players return for another season.
