Benzema replacement has already ‘said yes’ to Real Madrid

Robin Bairner

• 2 Jun 2023 07:53 BST
• 3 min read

Real Madrid are seeking a replacement for Karim Benzema at Chelsea, with Kai Havertz in their sights as the man to step into the Ballon d’Or winner’s shoes.

Benzema will leave the Bernabeu at the end of his contract in June, leaving Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a huge void to fill in the centre-forward area.

Ideally, they would like to sign Kylian Mbappe from PSG, but with the France striker under contract until 2024 and the Ligue 1 champions refusing to sell, this is a deal they will have to be patient for the next year.

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Joselu could also arrive, although the veteran could well prove to be a backup option given Los Blancos' were already short in this area

Instead, Marca reports they have turned to Havertz, despite the German forward’s underwhelming time at Chelsea since an €80 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Although the 23-year-old forward has shown some promise, there is a sense that he is not suited to the No.9 role.

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This has evidently not put Real Madrid off from taking a serious interest in the player, with Chelsea likely to be open to a sale for a reasonable bid.

Havertz has been a transfer target for Real Madrid in the past. Three years ago, Los Blancos were working to sign him from Leverkusen, yet the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent hit in income that the Spanish club took ultimately proved too great a hurdle.

The Germany international had already agreed personal terms with Madrid and was simply waiting for a call that never came to finalise the deal with the Spanish club.

The unknowns of Havertz to Real Madrid

With Real Madrid still discussing the repercussions of Benzema’s future, it is unclear just how seriously they will treat Havertz as a transfer target to replace him. Marca reports that the German’s name has been discussed already, though.

The importance of Havertz for new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino remains unknown, making it unclear how easy he will be to sign from the Blues.

Furthermore, Madrid are exploring other options, including Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who is expected to be too expensive, Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund youngster Karim Adeyemi.