Benzema agent flags Real stay

Karim Benzema’s agent says the striker will remain at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future, amid speculation surrounding his future.

The 25-year-old striker has struggled to find his top form on a consistent basis this season and has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the close season.

Many have predicted that if head coach Jose Mourinho leaves Real at the end of the season, Benzema will go too, but his agent Karim Djaziri has denied those rumours.

“Whether Mourinho quits or not, Benzema will remain at Madrid,” he told AS.

“At no point has Karim wanted to join PSG and they have never contacted us. He is at the best football club in the world.”

Former Madrid centre-forward Fernando Morientes recently expressed his concern over the form and state of mind of Benzema and his fellow striker Gonzalo Higuain, with both players not as lethal in front of goal as in previous seasons.

Benzema has scored 14 goals in 36 appearances this term, finding the net just seven times in the league, in comparison with a haul of 32 last season.

He has, however, been included in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Spain.