Four candidates to share '9' with Benzema

Four candidates to share '9' with Benzema

BeSoccer 5 years ago 5.4k |

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Four candidates to share '9' with Benzema. BeSoccer/AFP/EFE

Zinedine Zidane is clear about which positions he wants to strengthen for the next season. According to the daily 'AS', one of his aims is to sign a number '9' to compete with Karim Benzema.

Karim Benzema is having one of his best seasons at Real Madrid, both in numbers and emotions. He took over from Cristiano Ronaldo (overcoming the Portuguese's sky-high records) and has already scored 26 goals this season, in addition to having provided nine assists. It could be said that has been Madrid's best number '9' for a while.

Despite this, the Frenchman needs a companion. Or a rival, if you want to see it that way. 'AS' has suggested that there are four names in mind to compete with Benzema.

Rodrygo and Raúl de Tomás will start preseason under Zidane. The former cost 40 million. Nicknamed the 'new Vinicius' (high investment, youth and an exciting and uncertain future), he scored goal with Santos and Brazil's youth categories. In just six games as a starter, he scored three goals and is ready to start the Brasileirao by leading his team in late April.

As for Raul de Tomas, the Rayo striker has had another great year in terms of scoring. He has 13 goals for his side and is the main reason for the rayista's hope of avoiding relegation. He has a decent chance of performing well under Zidane.

The cases of Luka Jovic and Mauro Icardi are two more strong candidates. It is now up to the two teams to make a decision regarding contracts and salaries.

Eintracht Frankfurt, where Jovic plays on loan from Benfica, has been one of the big names across Europe. Barça, among other giants like PSG or Bayern, is seen to be a great rival in the bid for the '9'. In the year of his explosion, he has already scored 25 goals in 39 matches at the age of 21. In addition, a study by 'ProFootballDB', BeSoccer's statistics database, showed that he generates more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Finally, an old acquaintance closes the list. Mauro Icardi, according to this media, refused to renew to wait for Real Madrid. This caused him to lose his place at Inter on several occasions, although he has still scored 16 goals in 30 games. Since joining Inter in 2013, he has scored 123 goals in 212 games.