Karim Benzema will join Arsenal from Real Madrid on Sunday in a €50million deal, an Italian journalist has claimed.
Emanuele Giulianelli claims that a Benzema deal will be closed on Sunday, with the striker wearing the number 9 shirt for Arsenal, a shirt vacated by Lukas Podolski earlier in the summer.
Emanuele works for the likes of La Gazzetta dello Sport, FIFA Weekly and FourFourTwo – so his credibility at first glance appears to be high.
Today’s meeting ok between Arsenal and Real. Deal almost closed, Benzema will arrive to London on Sunday.
— Emanuele Giulianelli (@EmaGiulianelli) August 7, 2015
There’s a number of things that make his story unreliable, though. For one, he has incorrectly claimed several transfer stories over the last 12 months – suggesting the likes of Kostas Manolas and Eduardo Vargas would be joining the Gunners. He also suggests that Benzema would earn £120,000 per week at the Emirates – I can’t see him taking such a wage drop on his reported £200,000+ per week salary in Madrid.
Whilst I don’t doubt Arsenal’s interest in Benzema – I do doubt that talks are as advanced as he suggests.