Juventus have sights set on Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema
Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly interested in signing French striker Karim Benzema on loan from Real Madrid. The Bianconeri’s directors will travel to Madrid in the winter break to attempt to convince Madrid directors to
fulfill their request in January.
The 22-year-old France international has seen tough times at Madrid ever since his big-money move from Lyon last season and has constantly been in and out of the side. There have been reports of arguments with coach Jose Mourinho,
who is a tough disciplinarian. If this is true, Benzema might welcome a switch to the Old Lady.
But a recent injury to Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain may have made Madrid reluctant to let Benzema go.
Juventus are keen to spruce up their team in a bid to regain their Serie A title.
"We will see if there is an opportunity in the January market,” said Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta. “We are satisfied with this group and we need to recognise the merits of the players."
Benzema, a French player of Algerian origin, started his professional career with French giants Olympique Lyonnais, after joining the club’s training academy as a 9-year-old. He scored 38 goals for Lyon’s under-16 team and then
scored 12 times in 14 games as part of the under-18 team. He made his league debut for Lyon in January 2005 against FC Metz and provided an assist for Bryan Bergougnoux in a 2-0 win. Just days later, Benzema signed a three-year contract with the club.
The 2007-8 season was a breakthrough season for Karim Benzema, only 19 at the time, as he wore the number 10 shirt and proved his critics wrong by scoring 31 goals in 51 games, including four in the UEFA Champions League. He also
had a good 2008-9 season, finishing with 17 league goals for Lyon.
After much speculation, Real Madrid announced on July 1, 2009, that they had reached an agreement with Lyon for the services of the prolific striker and paid a whopping €41-million transfer fee. Benzema became the latest of the
‘Galactico 2.0’ arrivals, with the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso.
But Real Madrid have yet to see the best of the Karim Benzema who scored 43 goals for Lyon in 112 games. He has so far scored only nine times in 41 matches for Los Blancos and appears not yet to have settled at the club. A move
to Juve might help him rediscover the form that made him one of the hottest properties in European football.
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