Transfer Gossip: Aston Villa to bring Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema on loan
English Premier League side Aston Villa are keen on bringing Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema to Villa Park on loan.
Benzema has experienced limited first team opportunities since the arrival of manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician’s strategy is one of the reasons due to which Karim has consistently featured on the bench. Jose is known
to play a 4-5-1 formation which can only accommodate 1 striker hence, the hot goal scoring form of Argentinean ace Gonzalo Higuain has seen him occupy the centre forward position.
Although the French striker has performed well as substitute in recent matches for Los Blancos, he still struggles to cement his place ahead of Higuain.
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier wants the French international at Aston Villa on loan form Madrid. The former Olympique Lyonnais manager was Benzema’s boss at his time in France and still maintains a good relationship with the
struggling striker.
It has also been reported that Mourinho might be willing to let Benzema leave on a temporary basis to recapture his lost form that he showed before joining Madrid in 2009.
The 22-year-old almost joined Manchester United 3 seasons ago, but decided to turn them down in favour of a lucrative deal that saw him move to the Spanish Capital. It is believed that the Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson is still
a fan of Benzema’s striking powers and may rival Aston Villa for the marksman’s services, should he become available on loan.
Despite speculation of him leaving Los Blancos, it is not known if the player himself is willing to move away from Madrid. His agent Karim Diaziri, has been quoted as saying there is 'no chance' that the player will leave Real
Madrid for other European clubs.
Diaziri said, "There are still some months to go before the January transfer window, but Karim wants to play for Madrid. He has been linked with Inter Milan and Juventus but there is no chance he will leave Madrid. He has five
years to run on his deal."
Benzema featured in a 1-0 Madrid win over Real Sporting de Gijon in the Liga BBVA on Sunday where he came off the bench in the 60th minute to replace Angel Di Maria. Karim headed the ball to set up fellow striker Higuain
for a tap-in, to give Madrid a crucial win over Gijon.
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