Italian champions Juventus are set to bid for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema if they fail in their efforts to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal FC, according to reports from Spain and Italy.
The Bianconeri have been looking for a forward ever since Real Madrid exercised their €30 million buy-back clause to take Spaniard Alvaro Morata back to the Santiago Bernabeu. It was initially thought that Los Blancos wanted to make a hefty profit by selling Morata to another club for around €60 million. However, recent reports have suggested that Real Madrid want to keep Morata this summer.
Meanwhile, Juventus, who are said to be looking for a quality replacement for Morata, have reportedly tabled a €30 million bid for Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. However, Arsenal are not willing to part with their Chilean star for anything less than €40 million.
Sanchez has had two wonderful seasons at Arsenal, scoring a total of 29 goals and 12 assists in his first two seasons in the Premier League. He has also managed to win two Copa America titles in the last two years with his national team Chile.
While Sanchez remains their prime target, Juventus have contingency plans if they fail to sign the Chile star. Manager Max Allegri is also eyeing a move for Real Madrid star Karim Benzema, according to Italian publication Tuttosport.
Interestingly Real Madrid are also interested in signing Arsenal forward Sanchez, according to a report in Spanish magazine Don Balon. The report suggests that Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane has been very impressed with Sanchez and is eager to sign him.
This could turn out to be good news for Juventus, as the signing of Sanchez may lead to the sale of Benzema. However, Sanchez has played for Real Madrid’s arch rivals Barcelona, and this could be a huge barrier for the deal to go through.
There is one principal problem that Real Madrid may face if this transfer merry-go-round does take place though. While Juventus will gain a striker in Benzema, Los Blancos will basically be left with three wingers — Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Alexis Sanchez. How will Zizou make them line-up?
The answer to that question may be found in what we have seen at the recently concluded 2016 European Championships in France. Both Ronaldo and Bale successfully played as centre-forwards for their respective national teams. Thus this is a role which they could fulfill at the club level as well.
While Bale operated as a no.10 for Wales, playing behind Hal Robson-Kanu, Cristiano Ronaldo operated as the central striker for Portugal, with Nani playing off his shoulder. It seems likely that Ronaldo (who is now 31-years old) will be shifted to the centre, where he may not have to do as much running as before. Meanwhile, Sanchez can easily take up Ronaldo’s position as a left winger.
The advantage that this setup gives is that with Ronaldo now on the wrong side of the 30s, Los Blancos will have a quality young player in Morata, to take up the Portuguese’s mantle, as and when he retires.
