According to a shock report from El Nacional, Real Madrid apparently declined the chance to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic after Karim Benzema ‘threatened to join Paris Saint-Germain’. The Frenchman has been struggling with recurring injuries this season after proving to be unstoppable in Europe and Spain last season, propelling Real to La Liga and Champions League triumphs and earning himself the Ballon d’Or in November.
As a result, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has been urging the club to sign a backup striker despite Karim Benzema’s stunning comeback last season. The club’s decision to pin all of their hopes on the 35-year-old, was disputed by the Italian which irked the striker. However, Ancelotti’s concern is justified since Benzema has not been able to be at his best due to the numerous ailments he has sustained since the 2022/23 season began.
Karim Benzema has lingering insecurity over Real buying new striker
El Nacional has further reported that this is not the first time Karim Benzema has used such antics to stop Real from bringing in his successor. Real had a bumper deal ready for PSG’s Kylian Mbappe to replace his fellow countryman at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, he sent a shocker to Real by extending at Parc des Princes. Their other option, Erling Haaland too had already committed to Manchester City as the Los Blancos realised they were without a suitable heir.
However, potential deals for Edinson Cavani, Christopher Nkunku, and Edin Dzeko too fell through, partly because of Benzema. El Nacional claims that Benzema did not want to take the chance of having his playing time cut short due the the club bringing in a straight replacement of his. Dusan Vlahovic reportedly offered Real the chance to sign him this month after he expressed a wish to leave Juventus because of their current turmoil.
When Benzema caught whiff of the speculations and knew that PSG apparently had an offer on the table for him, he voiced his anxiety over playing time. The Parisians are long term admirers of the retired France international, and Mbappe, the ultimate decision-maker at the club too had demanded his signing. As a result, Real turned down the chance to sign Vlahovic in an effort to avert a crisis and prevent Benzema from perhaps joining PSG.
Going into the 22/23 campaign, Benzema was on the back of a stunning 21/22 season wherein he had scored 44 goals and assisted 15 in 46 games. However, injuries have hovered above him this season, with the World Cup controversy adding to it. Benzema was sent back to Madrid from Doha by France manager Didier Deschamps after the striker had a setback with an injury.
It was then speculated that Benzema had recovered in time to be available for the knockout stages, but Deschamps told to keep him away. This angered the veteran striker so much, that he rejected an invitation to watch his country play in the final and even announced his retirement from international football in the aftermath. While Real might have given into his demands for now, the 14-time Champions League winners might be willing to take more drastic action in the summer.