French striker Karim Benzema has agreed an extension on his current contract with Real Madrid till 2021, the club announced on Wednesday.
Real Madrid have made an official statement to announce that they have reached an agreement with Karim Benzema to extend his current contract with the club. The extension will see that French striker remain at Santiago Bernabeu till June 30, 2021.
Benzema joined Real Madrid from boyhood club Lyon in the summer of 2009 in a €35 million deal. Widely regarded as one of the most promising young strikers in the world back then, the player has been one of the cornerstones of Los Blancos’ success and is considered to be one of the most feared striking powerhouses today.
In recent years, Benzema has forged a formidable front trio – the BBC – alongside Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, leading Real Madrid to unprecedented success. In all Benzema boasts an incredible record for the Spanish heavyweights, with 182 goals and 104 assists in over 350 appearances for the side.
Over his eight-year long career with Los Blancos, the Frenchman has also racked up every major honour at the club level, winning a total 14 trophies. And even though he’s only 29, Benzema is considered a veteran of sorts, and is one of the three vice captains to Sergio Ramos at the Bernabeu.
✍️ Three-time #UCL winner Karim Benzema has agreed a new contract with Real Madrid until 2021. ??? pic.twitter.com/g1VAelZzx7
— #UCL (@ChampionsLeague) September 20, 2017
His time at Real Madrid, though, hasn’t been without its ups and downs, with bouts of bad form leading certain vociferous sections of supporters to question his place in the side. The aforementioned has been the most apparent over the last twelve months, with Benzema going through a major slump in form.
Last season the Frenchman only managed to find the back of the net 19 times in 48 outings – an underwhelming return for his talents. The player also started the current campaign on a whimper, struggling to convert several straightforward chances before being sidelined with injury.
Widespread reports last month also suggested that Real Madrid were prepared to offload Benzema due to his poor run of form, with the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal holding long-term interests in signing him as Los Blancos eyed a deal for Kylian Mbappe.
However, the rumours have turned out to be untrue, with Real Madrid handing Benzema a two-year extension on his current contract at the Bernabeu, binding him at the club till June 30, 2021. Reports in Spain also indicate that his release clause has been hiked from €250 million to €1 billion.
Therefore, as Benzema continues enjoying the support of manager Zinedine Zidane and the club hierarchy, Real Madrid supporters will hope he can rediscover his best form to guide the club to much more success and improve on a stuttering start to the campaign.
