Chelsea give Real Madrid OUTRAGEOUS demand for Benzema replacement

Tom Hancock

• Updated: 3 Jun 2023 20:16 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea could demand an enormous €100m from Real Madrid for Kai Havertz this summer.

Karim Benzema’s Real future would appear to remain up in the air, amid reports linking the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner with a lucrative move to Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad.

Should the La Liga giants lose their captain this summer, they well be forced into going big on a new number nine a year earlier than they had intended to do – and Havertz might be an option.

MORE: Benzema makes ANOTHER U-turn

According to Fabio Gatto of Le Journal du Real, Havertz is on Real’s radar as a potential successor to Benzema – but Chelsea’s apparent valuation of the 23-year-old German international could prove problematic.

Gatto suggests that the Blues may hold out for around €100m – while Los Blancos are reluctant to go over €75m at this moment in time, which falls more in line with Havertz’s Estimated Transfer Value of €71.1m.

But the prospect of Havertz – who joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen three years ago – heading to the Bernabeu is bound to raise a few eyebrows regardless of price tag.

Above all else, Havertz does not profile as a like-for-like replacement for Benzema: he’s simply not an out-and-out number nine; Chelsea have just deployed him there in the absence of one themselves.

READ: Chelsea World Cup winner set for SHOCK Saudi switch

Benzema's boss unperturbed

As for Benzema, he didn’t outright dismiss the exit rumours when speaking on Friday at the MARCA Leyenda awards. The Frenchman, 35, said: “It’s the internet speaking, and reality is not the internet.

“Staying or leaving Real Madrid? At the moment, I’m here…we have a game on Saturday.”

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti, however, doesn’t seem worried about losing Benzema. Ahead of his side’s final match of the season at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, the Italian said: “I agree with Karim: internet is not the reality.

“Benzema has one more year of contract with Real Madrid until 2024 and we have no doubts. I think it's clear.”