Chelsea ready to sign superstar striker – who has already trolled Arsenal fans with 'clowns' comment: report
Chelsea are about to bring an A-list forward to Stamford Bridge – and he has previous when it comes to riling Arsenal supporters
Chelsea are prepared to bring a new striker to Stamford Bridge who has already endeared himself to Blues fans – by insulting Arsenal.
Though neither club considers the other their primary enemies, there's no love lost between the London rivals, who have consistently met in finals over the past few years. The Gunners have bettered Chelsea in recent FA Cup clashes, though Arsenal were battered 4-1 in Baku's 2019 Europa League showpiece.
The touchpaper could be lit once more, too, with the west Londoners targeting a star who once upset touchy Gooners over rumours he could be about to head to the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Telegraph, attentions at the Bridge are turning to a striker, with the possibility of former Ballon d'Or winner, Karim Benzema, completing a short-term switch to the Premier League.
The French frontman is said not to be enjoying his time in Saudi Arabia particular, having been left out of Al-Ittihad training camps following his high-profile and surprise exit from the Bernabeu over the summer. Benzema is no stranger to the Premier League rumour mill either, having been linked with Arsenal consistently during his pomp at the top of the European game.
The ex-Real Madrid striker hit out at rumours linking him with Arsene Wenger's side in 2015, branding those who believed he'd actually move to the Gunners as "clowns".
Plenty of fans took exception to that at a time in which Arsenal were struggling to sign a top-calibre centre-forward – with that summer seeing Wenger miss out on his No.1 target and settle for a transfer window in which only Petr Cech joined (from Chelsea, in fact).
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The 36-year-old is valued by Transfermarkt at €15 million.
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Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.