Tottenham and Real Madrid have started negotiations over a potential player-plus-cash deal which would see Harry Kane and Karim Benzema switch places, according to reports in Spain (via the Express).
Spurs are asking Real for their £68m-rated (€80m) striker Benzema, plus £103m (€120m) in cash to part with Kane, who is valued at £171m (€200m) by the north Londoners.
Spanish outlet ElDesmarque claim that price-tag could prove problematic, though, as Madrid chairman Florentino Perez only believes the England captain to be worth £120m (€140m), perhaps why he is keen to drive down the price by offering Benzema.
Another issue which could severely damage this potential deal is Benzema’s wage demands. The 31-year-old is thought to be on £150,000-a-week and is one of Los Blancos’ highest-paid players, behind Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Luka Jovic (via Silly Season), and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will almost certainly not agree to paying a player that sort of money, especially considering he is now the wrong side of 30.
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Kane is one of the best centre-forwards in world football and has been on Perez’s radar for a while now. Real have played second-fiddle to Barcelona in La Liga for the previous two seasons and desperately need a world-class forward spearheading their attack if they are to end their rivals’ domestic dominance.
Benzema is a fantastic player and has always displayed consistency for Los Blancos, though now he is 31, it could be time for a new striker to be introduced at the Bernabeu, especially as things haven’t worked out for summer signing Luka Jovic so far.
Tottenham will have a huge job on their hands keeping hold of a player of Kane’s quality for much longer, should they again finish the campaign trophy-less and fail to obtain a spot in next season’s Champions League, making this potential move seem realistic.
Tottenham fans, would you take Benzema IF you had to sell Kane? Comment below…
