Arsenal will reportedly make one final attempt to sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid.
The Gunners are chasing a world-class striker, board member Lord Harris admitted to the Daily Mail last week, and are said to have identified Benzema as their top target, as reported by the Daily Star.
The Metro claim that they have had offers of £30.3m and £35.3m rebuffed by Madrid, but go on to suggest that Arsenal will make a third bid of £40.5m in the hope of finally landing their man.
The France international has scored 123 goals in 241 La Liga and Champions League games for Real since signing from Lyon in 2009, but Los Blancos may be tempted to sell at that price as new manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly planning to use Cristiano Ronaldo through the middle, according to the Mirror.
Arsenal finished 12 points behind Chelsea in the final Premier League table last season, but have since recruited proven goalkeeper Petr Cech from the Blues to boost their title ambitions.
And the signing of Benzema could be the final piece in the jigsaw for Arsene Wenger, who would be willing to wait until the final days of the transfer window to secure his signature, the Metro adds.
Benzema put the Premier League on notice with this well-taken goal in Real’s 3-1 friendly victory over Manchester City last week, expertly finding the bottom corner with a first-time volley.
Theo Walcott has also been in fine pre-season form for Arsenal as he aims to stake his claim for a starting spot as a central striker, so it could be Olivier Giroud who is shifted to make way for his compatriot.
The 28-year-old has yet to hit the 20-goal mark in his three Premier League seasons with the Gunners, and no team has won the title with a top scorer bagging less than 20 since Manchester United in 2008-2009.
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