Arsenal boss Wenger desperate to sign Benzema in January

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has asked to be kept informed of Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema's availability ahead of potentially making a fresh bid for the striker in January.

According to SportsMole.co.uk, the Gunners manager is desperate to add another forward to his table-topping squad after failing to sign any notable competition for Olivier Giroud in the previous transfer window.

He has always been a big admirer of Benzema, who snubbed Arsenal's interest in him in the summer, but he may be more open to a switch to the Emirates Stadium now, the report said.

The Frenchman has never been a favourite of the Madrid fans, and Mesut Ozil's arrival in London makes moving to Wenger's side, now seen as genuine Premier League challengers, a more attractive proposition, the report added.

Benzema has 18 months left on his Santiago Bernabeu contract, and will likely only be allowed to leave if Los Blancos are successful in their pursuit of Liverpool forward Luis Suarez, according to the report.