Karim Benzema’s future at Real Madrid is the latest to be thrown into question, according to a report in AS, with Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani being named as potential candidates to Cristiano Ronaldo — and they would take the Frenchman’s position.
Benzema has won the Champions League four times since joining Madrid from Lyon in 2009 but his goal return in recent seasons has come in for criticism. In nine years he has only hit the 20-goal mark on two occasions in La Liga, with an all-time low of five last term, and Ronaldo’s exit for Juventus leaves him vulnerable, according to AS.
They say that his role as Ronaldo’s foil was his saving grace but the spotlight will intensify without his goals to win games for Madrid almost single-handedly and he is likely to find himself on the bench. Benzema could be offered an escape route by Napoli, where he would be reunited with former Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, but AS say the Frenchman, who has a contract until 2021, has no intentions of changing clubs this summer.