Real Madrid icon Karim Benzema is set to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad on a free transfer this summer, according to multiple reports.
ESPN have claimed that Benzema will finally depart the Bernabeu Stadium after 14 trophy-laden years in the Spanish capital. But this could potentially be bad news for Arsenal considering Real will be on the hunt for a new centre-forward and Los Blancos have been heavily linked with a move for Gabriel Jesus over the last 12 months.
The Gunners only signed Jesus from Manchester City last summer but reports at the time claimed that Real wanted to pursue the Brazilian international but weren't able to due to rules regarding Spanish passports. "Real Madrid and in particular Carlo Ancelotti are big fans of Gabriel Jesus,” transfer guru Fabrizio Romano told his The Here We Go podcast last year.
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“What happened was that they were not able to negotiate with Manchester City or with Gabriel because of the passport situation. At that point in May, June and July, it was not possible for Real Madrid to proceed, but he was one of the top targets for Ancelotti after missing out on Kylian Mbappe.”
Spanish rules prevent more than three non-EU players in a team's squad, with Real unable to pursue Jesus because they had his international teammates Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr on their books. However, Vinicius has since qualified for a Spanish passport, meaning that this would not be an issue if they came back in for the former City frontman.
Jesus enjoyed an excellent debut campaign in north London, netting ten Premier League goals and providing a further five assists - numbers that read even more impressive when you consider he spent the best part of four months injured.
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