There is no question about the fact that Real Madrid could do with another striker at this point of time. Karim Benzema is an incredible option to have and he proved that with a brace against Espanyol, even when he was not playing well. But then, the Frenchman is 34 years of age and it would be a huge mistake to depend on him to go into the season without any real back up option to him.
Any long-term injury to Benzema could derail Real Madrid’s season. We already saw their performance without the Frenchman against Barcelona.
With just days left in the summer transfer window though, it feels like Real Madrid are not going to bring in another striker, unless they decide to spring a late surprise. They do have their eyes on another Frenchman though.
As reported by Marca, Real Madrid have been following Nice’s Amine Gouiri, who they think could be a long-term replacement for Benzema. But as reported by L’Equipe, Juventus are interested in him, as are several other teams.
Real Madrid battle Juventus for French striker
While still just 22 years of age, Gouiri already has a bit of experience under his belt and has impressed in the previous two campaigns, both in French domestic competitions and in Europe.
Thus, Gouiri is certainly a player worth watching out for and if he can develop like he is expected to, he could actually turn out to be the long-term successor to Benzema in the French national team.
With the amount of interest in Gouiri’s signature already, can Real Madrid afford to wait for him though?
There is a possibility that a club could end up making a late transfer bid for him this summer itself and end up signing him from Nice. Other than Juventus, the likes of Rennes, Lyon and a major English club are also believed to hold an interest in Gouiri.