Arsenal have long been tracking down Karim Benzema, but the rumours, much to the dismay of their supporters, have never come to fruition. Given the recent progressions in their pursuit, the Frenchman can well be billed to don the legendary red and white strip before the transfer window comes to a closure.

Following the arrival of Rafael Benitez, murmurs around the Santiago Bernabeu suggest that the former Olympique Lyonnais marksman could be only held at the periphery of the pans of the Spaniard as he is expected to play Cristiano Ronaldo at that position, where the Arsenal target has been critically acclaimed at.

The Spanish juggernaut reportedly are prepared to accept a transfer bid from Arsenal, provided it breaks their transfer record as they are allegedly braced to make their marquee signing in David de Gea with the Karim Benzema monies, but how desperately do the London outfit need him?

Olivier Giroud has never really impressed the onlookers even though he manages to hit the double figures consistently and has also been harshly slammed for his standard work-rate. The former Montpellier striker could be an integral part of a title winning season, if and only if he is backed by a world-class striker (Karim Benzema, say).

Theo Walcott, who recently penned a contract extension, must have been enticed by the central role promises of his manager and can be expected to get the nod ahead of Olivier Giroud in a few games. Nonetheless, despite his late goal-scoring heroics last season, he has never really been the dynamic Theo Walcott, who cuts in from the right wing.

It would be too big a gamble to only have two injury-prone strikers at the disposal in a title challenging season. In the unlikely event of either striker being sidelined, Arsenal will not only see themselves fall short in the title race but will also make qualifying for the Champions League next season a Herculean task.

Furthermore, the squad depth is under serious scrutiny as Lukas Podolski, Yaya Sanogo, Serge Gnabry and Chuba Akpom were shown the door in the same summer. With Joel Campbell now in line to leave the Emirates Stadium shortly in favour of a move to Palermo, the need for a striker signing is only underlined.

Unlike the other reported targets such as Alexandre Lacazette, the Real Madrid superstar has been playing football at an elite level for a long time now, having been a part of the Champions League winning squad and French national team and will demand no time adapting to the pace of the Premier League. In addition, having played alongside Mesut Ozil, Mathieu Debuchy, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud, he will likely gel with his teammates in no time.

The Community Shield winners have lately accustomed to playing with a towering centre-forward, whose precision stands apart and the £45million rated hitman fits the bill perfectly but is ostensibly an upgrade to any striker that they have had in the recent past. With the likes of Santi Cazorla operating behind him, he will, at his worst, reach the twenty-goal mark, if he becomes the second summer signing.