5 players who could replace Karim Benzema at Real Madrid

It has been a turbulent summer at Real Madrid. There have been big changes both on and off the pitch at the Bernabeu, and it looks set to be a fascinating season.

This has in fact been one of the most successful periods in the club’s history. They have won the last three Champions League titles, in the process becoming the first side to retain it in its current format.

Just days after beating Liverpool in the Champions League final in May, Zinedine Zidane announced that he was stepping down as manager of the club. He was soon replaced by Julen Lopetegui. This was a move shrouded in controversy, as Lopetegui failed to inform the Spanish FA, and was sacked as Spain manager on the eve of the World Cup in Russia.

Arguably the biggest change was the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been such a big part of Real’s success over recent years, and he is a massive loss, especially given that he carried them at times in their run to the Champions League title last season.

There have been a couple of incomings at the club, with Alvaro Odriozola, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Junior all making big money move to Real this summer. However, there hasn’t really been that marquee signing that Los Blancos love to make.

There are still worries in attacking areas. Marco Asensio looks set to be tasked with replacing Ronaldo, but the biggest problem may come up front. Karim Benzema has scored just 16 league goals over the past two seasons, and especially with Ronaldo now gone, that just isn’t enough.

There have been rumours that Real are looking to replace Benzema, and they have just under a week of the transfer window left to do so. Here are five men who they could sign to replace the Frenchman.

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#1 Rodrigo (Valencia)

Rodrigo was a part of Spain's World Cup squad

Rodrigo is a man who has regularly been linked with a move to Real over the past few weeks. This is partly down to the appointment of Lopetegui, who was impressed by the Valencia forward last season and picked him as part of his World Cup squad. The 27-year-old had an excellent season in LaLiga last time out, scoring 16 goals, the most he has managed during a single season in his career.

He is a very talented player and has shown that over the past year. He is a pacy player who has a knack of getting himself into goal scoring positions. He has a £107 million release clause in his contract though, and Valencia have said they will not sell Rodrigo unless that is met. Real should think twice before activating that clause though. Rodrigo is 27, and his 16 goal haul last season was his best by quite some distance in his time at Valencia. Real need someone with consistency, and Rodrigo hasn’t really proved he is that man.

#2 Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo)

Aspas has rebuilt his career since returning to Spain

Liverpool fans, in particular, may be surprised to see Aspas’ name on this list, but he is a man who has rebuilt his reputation since his return to Spain. Best remembered in England for that shocking corner against Chelsea, Aspas has been excellent since he returned to Spain in 2014, so much that he earned himself a spot in the Spanish World Cup squad. Once again, this is where this rumour came from, as it was Lopetegui who selected him for the squad.

Following a season with Sevilla, he made the move back to Celta in 2015, and since then has scored an impressive 55 goals in 102 LaLiga games. He scored 22 league goals last season, the most he has managed in a single LaLiga season. He also impressed at the World Cup and scored a terrific late equaliser against Morocco to help earn his side top spot in the group. He won’t cost as much as Rodrigo, but he wouldn’t be the long-term solution, more like a short-term fix. It would be wrong to rule out a possible move to the Bernabeu for Aspas.

#3 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

Martial has made it clear that he wants to leave Manchester United

Martial has made no secret of his desire to leave Old Trafford during this summer’s transfer window. Although he enjoyed a successful first season at United under Louis van Gaal, things have gone downhill in the last couple of years, and he has found himself left out of Jose Mourinho’s team. His lack of appearances saw him miss out on a spot in France’s victorious World Cup squad, which likely played a part in his decision to try and force a way out of Manchester.

He may have spent much of his time in the Premier League playing as a left winger, but he has all the attributes needed to be a top striker. His pace is a worry for any defender in the world, and he is a natural finisher in front of goal. He is certainly a player capable of dealing with the pressure of playing for Real, seeing that he seamlessly made the transition to the Premier League when he joined United. The real issue for Real is that now the English transfer window is now shut, United will be unable to replace Martial. Given that Mourinho has already complained about the quality of his squad, he may not be prepared to lose someone of Martial’s talents.

#4 Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)

Timo Werner had a disappointing World Cup in Russia

Of all the young strikers in world football at the moment, there are very few better than RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner. Of course, his stock has fallen in recent months following a poor performance at the World Cup, but the same can be said of almost all the German players at the tournament. He has had two very successful seasons in the Bundesliga though and has played a big part in Leipzig’s success in recent years.

Whereas we said Aspas was the short term option for Real, Werner is certainly the man for the long term. He is still only 22, so will continue to get better as he gets older. He is definitely an intelligent striker. He may not have the pace of someone like a Martial, but he has the know-how to get into the right positions to get goals. It may take him some time to adapt to the way Real play if he were to move to Madrid, but he would be worth the investment.

#5 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

Icardi has a quite extraordinary goal record with Inter

While Real may have to wait if they are to see the best of Werner, they are almost guaranteed goals if they are to move for Icardi. The Argentinian is one of the best strikers in world football at this moment in time and is deadly in front of goal. Despite his quite incredible talents, Icardi probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves, and this is perhaps down to his off-field behaviour.

He is a proven goalscorer though, and that is what Real should worry about. He has scored 100 Serie A goals in just 160 appearances, a quite incredible goal record. He is the sort of player capable of becoming a bit of a superstar, which is always something Real like to have in their team, for commercial reasons as much as anything. Icardi could be the perfect signing, but he won’t come cheap. Despite the overly inflated fees across world football at the moment, Icardi would be worth every penny, even if the transfer fee is over £100 million.