Where next for £40 million Benzema?

French Football / James Eastham / 28 December 2008 / Leave a Comment

Karim Benzema will be the subject of the biggest transfer of 2009. OK, there's no guarantee he'll leave Lyon, but even if he doesn't, you can be sure he'll be the biggest transfer story of the year, says James Eastham.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists his prize asset is going nowhere until 2010, but £40 million - the sum the 21-year-old France international striker is expected to fetch - will persuade him otherwise. It would be money well spent, too, because no 21-year-old other than Lionel Messi is as accomplished as Benzema.

Over the past 18 months he has developed into the best player in France, to the point where life in Ligue 1 is almost too easy for him. A stunning goal against Manchester United in the Champions League signalled his arrival in the big time last February, and he followed up by scoring five in this season's group stages to go into next spring's last-16 clash against Barcelona as the competition's joint top scorer.

Having rapidly matured into a remarkable all-round striker, Benzema is now ready for the next stage of his development into one of the greatest footballers of his generation. Where will he go? Who are the contenders for his signature? Read our rundown of the contenders, complete with a suggestion of the odds to look for should the market open up:

Barcelona (2.50 fav)

Benzema loves the idea of playing in Spain and Spain - well, the press, at least - loves Benzema. Moving to Barcelona, though, depends on the Catalan giants offloading one of Thierry Henry or Samuel Eto'o to make room for the new arrival. Eto'o, out of favour last summer, has redeemed himself with some fabulous goalscoring performances this season but Henry remains a peripheral personality. France's all-time top goalscorer turns 32 next year, and is more likely to make way for a player who similarly enjoys drifting in from the left wing. The combination of Messi and Benzema, two of the most fluid, intelligent players in the world, would have the Nou Camp socios slavering.

Real Madrid (4.00)

Cristiano Ronaldo is Real's number one target - but if Ramon Calderon's long-term love affair with the preening Portuguese ends in misery, expect el presidente to make a move for the French wizard. Real will put all their energy into signing Ronaldo before considering anybody else, however - and that may count against them, because Benzema's sense of self-worth suggests he'll join a club that truly wants him. The Merengues will have to engage in some smart serenading in the spring if they want to play a role in the transfer race next summer.

Manchester United (6.00)

Ronaldo's future is again inextricably linked to Benzema's - for, if the Fifa World Player of the Year quits Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson will surely seek a ready-made replacement who can step straight into the boots of the man from Madeira. If Ronaldo stays, however, not even the money-making machine that is United could justify bidding £40 million for another striker just 12 months after shelling out £30.75 million on Dimitar Berbatov and a similar sum on Carlos Tevez. Ronaldo, over to you.

Bayern Munich (10.00)

The reason Bayern Munich will be in the running? Franck Ribery. He and Benzema are great buddies, and you can bet the Bundesliga Player of the Year uses every France international get-together as an opportunity to sell life in Bavaria to his junior team-mate. Fanciful it may be, but if Benzema were interested in reviving the fortunes of a club that has tumbled down the European pecking order with a pal in situ to ease his integration, Bayern would be the obvious choice. Yet the club's general manager Uli Hoeness has spent much of the past decade sneering at debt-laden clubs in Spain and England for shelling out fortunes on overpriced stars - so he'd have to humiliatingly violate his highly-valued principles to land the Lyon man.

Others (12.00)
It says everything about how far Italian football has fallen that their 'Big Three' - Inter, Milan and Juventus - are rank outsiders in the Benzema bidding war. The trio lack the money, popular appeal and sporting standards to tempt a player who has pretensions of winning the Ballon d'Or in the next few years. Sorry, Serie A - you don't stand a chance.

KARIM BENZEMA FACT FILE
Born: 19 December 1987
Height: 183cm
Weight: 73kg
Position: Striker
Clubs: Lyon (2005-present)
Stats: Ligue 1 (93 games, 36 goals), Champions League (17 games, 12 goals), France national team (19 games, 5 goals)
Honours: Ligue 1 title 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, Coupe de France 2008, Ligue 1 PFA Player of the Year 2008, Ligue 1 top scorer 2007-08 (20 goals)