Arsenal will not increase their reported £35m offer for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, despite rumours to the contrary.

Benzema has been in poor form all season, scoring just four goals in all competitions for Madrid, and is testing the patience of Real owner Florentino Perez.

That’s according to Don Balon, who report that Arsenal are keen to take advantage of the situation, but won’t spend more than the £35m they’ve already offered.

 

That could be a problem, as they also report that Perez wants significantly more for the French striker. Don Balon attempts to portray Benzema as a potential Alexis Sanchez replacement, but the move wouldn’t make sense for a number of reasons.

He and Alexis play in different positions. Arsenal would be looking at inside forwards for a replacement, not another striker.

They already have Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud at the club to play the role too. On current form, Benzema isn’t getting into the team ahead of either of the French pair.

In addition, Benzema is now 30 years old. Even if Giroud were to leave the club, it doesn’t make a great deal of sense to replace a 31-year-old with a 30-year-old, especially at the touted price.

You’d think Arsenal would fancy a younger option in that scenario.