Santi Cazorla has handed Gunners fans a huge transfer blow, after revealing he doesn’t believe Arsenal will sign Karim Benzema this summer.
This summers media has been flooded with rumours linking the French striker to the Emirates, with many outlets suggesting a deal was imminent.
Chief director, Lord Harris, revealed just two weeks ago that the club had £200million set aside for transfer business, which ultimately fuelled fans’ hopes of a move for the forward.
However, in the last week those hopes have taken a serious reality check, with Arsene Wenger admitting he was not in the running for £45million rated Benzema.
After his recent Community Shield success, the Gunners boss confirmed there was no current activity involving the Real Madrid man;
No, nothing is happening. Honestly, no.
I don’t know who brings that up. Is it Spanish media or English media? I don’t know.
And even after making that statement, Gunners fans continued to speculate that a move could be made later in the transfer period, which closes at 5pm on September 1st.
But now Santi Cazorla has heaped more bad news on the chances of Arsenal making Benzema their new world-class signing, after confirming he doesn’t think a deal is in the running.
During an interview with Spanish radio station, CardenaCOPE, Arsenal’s top assist maker for 2014/15 revealed his thoughts on the situation.
I’m not very aware on whether there is any interest or not.
The manager knows it better than anyone. Benzema is a great player.Every side would like to have him but I think the manager already has his team made and probably he is not looking for another striker.
Benzema fits into any team. The good players fit well in every side. He has quality and would adapt great.
No matter what though, something Arsenal fans can be sure of is that this transfer is still not dead in the water, with the club finally having the funds to tempt Benzema out of Madrid.
And when you add the recent loan of Chuba Akpom to Hull City, you’re looking at an Arsenal squad that has just three recognised strikers.
Did You See: Arsenal Beat Manchester United To Portuguese Star
Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck fit the bill in the solo forward role, but with Welbeck holding on for a run on the left-wing, we can’t be sure whether he can still act as a top striker.
When you consider one of those names hitting the injury list early on, you’re suddenly looking at a side that doesn’t have too many options in attack.
Arsenal will continue to be linked with Benzema for sure, but other names such as Gonzalo Higuain and Alexandre Lacazette will begin to crop up again.
According to reports, Higuain recently refused to sign a new contract with Serie A side Napoli, leaving the Argentinian to assess his options for future football.
Like us on Facebook by clicking here and follow us on Twitter @Fresh_Arsenal to stay up to date with all the news, blogs and transfer updates. You can now follow our new Instagram page here.