Real Madrid Identify Harry Kane As Karim Benzema's Replacement; Who Are Their Other Targets?

Real Madrid are reportedly keeping a close eye on Harry Kane, who is captaining England in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Kane is contracted with Tottenham Hotspur until 2024. Real Madrid are eyeing Kane as an ideal long-term replacement for Karim Benzema, reported Spanish media outlet The Sport. Spurs are expected to demand around $93 million for Kane, an amount that Los Blancos are not willing to spend on the English striker.

The 29-year-old Spurs star has been one of the top strikers in the world for many years now but he has not been able to win trophies with the North London club. While he was heavily linked with a move away from Spurs a couple of seasons ago, he ended up staying put there.

Benzema, who is the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, scored an incredible 46 goals and provided 15 assists in 44 competitive matches last season and played a vital role in Real Madrid's win in La Liga and the Champions League. Even in the 2020-21 campaign, the French forward contributed with 30 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions.

However, Benzema has been suffering from various injury issues in the ongoing term. He missed at least eight games for Real Madrid, on different occasions, due to muscle-related problems. The 34-year-old forward is also out of the World Cup due to a problem with his left hip.

While Real Madrid boss Florentino Pérez was initially not looking to sign a striker next summer, Kane has emerged as a viable target due to Benzema's fitness issues. The Spurs center-forward has netted 13 goals and three assists in 22 matches in all competitions for the North London club in the 2022-23 campaign.

Even though Spurs are eager to tie Kane down with a new deal, the England captain has been putting off contract talks, according to another Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Apart from Kane, Real Madrid reportedly were also eyeing the likes of Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich), Enzo Fernandez (Benfica), Youri Tielemans (Leicester City), Youssoufa Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund) and Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli).

Meanwhile, the possibility of landing Davies from Bayern Munich is unlikely as he has a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2025. He also has shown no intention of leaving the club in the near future.