According to Diario Gol, Arsenal are prepared to offer £35m for Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema in this summer's transfer window.

What's the story?

Benzema has scored 189 goals for Real Madrid since joining the Spanish giants from Lyon in the summer of 2009.

The Frenchman has won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and three Champions League crowns with the club, meanwhile, and has often been credited with helping Cristiano Ronaldo thrive at the Bernabeu.

Benzema has only managed nine goals for Los Blancos this season, however, and his performances have been called into question by the Spanish media.

According to Diario Gol, Arsenal will attempt to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the striker's future by launching a £35m bid at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Much will depend on whether Real Madrid follow up on their interest in Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, but it is certainly an offer that would grab the Spanish club's attention.

Would Benzema be a good signing?

The question is not so much whether Benzema would be a good signing, but whether he is needed when considering Arsenal's recent transfer business.

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Indeed, the Gunners broke their transfer record to bring Alexandre Lacazette to the club last summer, before smashing it again in January to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund.

Benzema, who has also been linked with a shock move to West Ham United, is a different type of player, however, and the 30-year-old must be respected for the type of numbers that he has posted in the Spanish capital.

Much has been made of Benzema's form this term, but there is absolutely no doubting that he has the quality to score goals in the Premier League, and a change of scenery might be just what he needs at this stage of his career.

It is certainly one to watch ahead of this summer's transfer window, and it would be a big statement of intent from Arsenal if they managed to pull off the deal.