3 Real Madrid stars impacted by the potential arrival of Luka Jovic

Luka Jovic is the second highest scorer in the Bundesliga this season with 17 goals
Luka Jovic is the second highest scorer in the Bundesliga this season with 17 goals

#1 Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema will have to battle it out with Luka Jovic for the coveted Real Madrid No.9 starting spot
Karim Benzema will have to battle it out with Luka Jovic for the coveted Real Madrid No.9 starting spot

Benzema has had a superb season, but at some point, he is bound to feel threatened by the arrival of Jovic, who has definitely been earmarked as Real's long-term no.9. Zidane's preferred No.9 choice, the Frenchman has bagged 25 goals and 8 assists in all competitions this season for Los Blancos and is their top goal-getter. However, his league strike rate of 137 goals per minute is inferior to Jovic's Bundesliga rate of a goal every 127 minutes.

Jovic is currently tied as the top scorer of the UEFA Europa League with 10 goals (alongwith Chelsea's Olivier Giroud) while Benzema managed 4 goals in a disappointing Champions League season for Madrid, where they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Ajax.

31-year-old Benzema is clearly approaching the final stages of his career while 21-year-old Jovic will be looked upon by Los Blancos as a potential long-term successor. Benzema and Bale together have been unable to take up the goalscoring responsibilities post the departure of Ronaldo and with a deal for Chelsea's Eden Hazard reportedly already in place, the duo could soon be replaced by the more youthful Hazard-Jovic combo.

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