There is no deal in place for Karim Benzema to join Real Madrid...

Olympique Lyonnais have dismissed reports in Spain that they have struck a deal for Karim Benzema to join Real Madrid for €35 million and stated that the bid they do have is worth far more.

AS and Marca, along with several other media outlets, declared that an agreement was in place and that the 21-year-old striker would become Los Merengues' fourth major capture of the summer.

But Lyon have denied that any such accord has been made and reiterated that while they have received offers, they have not accepted anything and have yet to speak to Benzema.

"We have received an offer of substantially more than the quantity that has been reported," the Ligue 1 club's director of communications, Olivier Blanc, told L'Equipe.

"But nobody has ever said that it came from Real Madrid. There has been no agreement made with anyone."

Manchester United are also said to be in the race and Blanc's revelations could indicate that it is in fact the Red Devils that have made the substantially larger offer for the player.

Madrid are keen on Benzema, but the early reports that a deal had been struck do appear to be wide of the mark as Lyon could well remain patient to ensure that they receive the best possible price.

The player himself has also previously stated that he wants to remain with his hometown club for one more season, leading up to the World Cup Finals next summer.

He'll never win the Ballon d'Or, but that's not to say United won't keep winning the titles, writes Goal.com's Sulmaan Ahmad...

There's only one Ronaldo, and it's not the Portuguese winker, but what even his most vitriolic detractors must surely recognise is his outstanding individual ability cannot be replicated or replaced by another player on the planet.

Leo Messi may even be superior, but doesn't offer as many options as a forward and, as an adopted Catalan, is one of the few players that can still be considered truly untransferable in world football.

Who else can wreak so much havoc from either wing? Maybe Franck Ribery, but he is nowhere near the same goal-threat.

Who else can combine the pace, power, skill and goals? Kaka, yes, but he is not so effective from wide areas, nor is he on the market, having also found his way to the Bernabeu, alongside CR7 (or CR9, as it is speculated he will soon be known).

Sir Alex Ferguson, blanking one and all streams of speculation from the mass media, has not even considered 'replacing' Cristiano Ronaldo. Even names as big as Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema, though they may have ended up taking the No. 7 shirt, wouldn't have taken CR7's place.

It seems Fergie is adopting a much more low-key route towards rebuilding for life after Ronaldo. Luis Antonio Valencia was confirmed as the first signing of the summer just yesterday, for a rumoured £16m from Wigan Athletic.

This is on a par with Tottenham signing Wilson Palacios - also from Wigan - for £14m in January, a transfer universally criticised but ultimately vindicated, as the Honduras international hit the ground running at White Hart Lane and added an invaluable dimension to the Lilywhites' midfield.

The same can be expected of Valencia. Sir Alex appears to now be favouring the blueprint of his 1999 treble-winners. That was a team - despite the inclusion of Ronaldo's No. 7 predecessor, David Beckham - that was full of hard-workers and level heads. For all of Beckham's fame, he rarely made a scene with a strop quite like Ronaldo.

Valencia can slot in on one wing and develop into a top class player, but never will he be made a star. Like Carrick, like Anderson, even like Berbatov, he will be subject to squad rotation whenever Sir Alex sees fit, and serve as just one of many weapons in United's armoury. Their only guaranteed starter up front is Wayne Rooney, and even he can end up playing anywhere from centre-forward to either wing, whether he likes it or not.

You can guarantee that Fergie will have not once told Valencia he is Ronaldo's replacement. At least one more player will be signed by the Red Devils this summer as they seek to further substitute for the loss of their star man. Karim Benzema looks to have slipped through their fingers, as Real Madrid moved for the French prodigy after Valencia (that's the club, this time) refused to sell David Villa.

Next on Ferguson's list, if you believe what you read, is Sergio Aguero. Certainly, United could do a lot worse, and El Kun would certainly make a worthy heir to the No. 7. Then again, the least glamorous option, still rumoured to be under consideration at Old Trafford, is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

We can't quite even rule out the possibility of Ribery making the move to Old Trafford, although he, like Benzema, has a preference for the Spanish capital, if he is to be released from the clutches of the incredibly bullish Bayern hierarchy.

Whatever happens, replacing Cristiano Ronaldo will not be a simple, like-for-like swapping exercise. Valencia may not quite be in 'youngster' territory any more, but as he is approaching 24 years of age, still has several years ahead of him in which to improve, given the right coaching and the right team-mates. He couldn't ask for much better than Man United, and despite his relatively low profile, the test of time may reveal that United would have struggled to do too much better than Valencia.

After all, this is just the beginning...

Is Man Utd's latest signing the man to replace departing superstar 'CR7'?

His full name is Luis Antonio Valencia Mosquera. His nickname is Toño Maravilla. He is Manchester United's latest capture.

Steve Bruce – one of Sir Alex Ferguson's more successful managerial proteges – recently fostered in a productive period in Wigan Athletic's history, before moving onto his new role at Sunderland. However, it was actually Paul Jewell who first brought the impressive Valencia to England at the start of the 2006-07 season – although Bruce was already an admirer and thus delighted to inherit the player. He quickly found his feet on the pitch, despite his youth and the language barrier, helping to keep Wigan in the top-flight.

The Latics started the 08/09 season well and, despite the departures of such big guns as Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey in January, as well as the capitulation of Amr Zaki, finished in a comfortable eleventh place.

Now, though, Bruce is gone and new gaffer Roberto Martinez never really had much of a hope of holding onto his remaining key man, Valencia; the squad has been stripped for spare parts somewhat.

Manchester United were very quick to turn to the winger, who'd been linked with Old Trafford long before Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid was a foregone conclusion. In fact, United reportedly had scouts watching him throughout the whole of last season. Real Madrid were also prepared to splash the cash, while Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur had been mentioned at various times.

Valencia was a youth player with Caribe Junior and El Nacional in his Ecuadorian homeland before progressing to the senior team of the latter outfit, a military-owned club. 20 goals in 84 league games across five years saw him established as one of his country's hottest young talents.

Villarreal were the first European side to take the bait, signing him along with Argentine goalkeeper Mariano Barbosa in 2005. His time at El Madrigal was a non-starter, though; the Yellow Submarine gave him just two run-outs during his stay, farming him out first to Recreativo Huelva.

He did, at least, get to play in yellow, for Ecuador, during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he was one of the most impressive performers on show. In fact, he was in the running for FIFA's young player of the tournament gong alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, who was being berated for his part in the sending off of England's Wayne Rooney. The hosts' Lukas Podolski was the youngster crowned in the end.

Still, Valencia had shown an immense amount of promise and signed for Wigan on loan, staying for a season and a half before the Latics made his deal permanent in January 2008.

In May 2008, Valencia scored an impressive double to down Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park. Interestingly, one of his most impressive performances came against United at Old Trafford; in January 2009 he ran riot on the right, earning plaudits despite an eventual 1-0 defeat.

Despite all this promise – and the timing of the transfer – one would have to work very hard to dub the now 23-year-old a direct replacement for CR7. For a start, comparing anyone to the last Ballon d'Or winner is folly. More crucial, though, is the fact that Valencia is simply not a born goalscorer, unlike the Portuguese powerhouse.

Still, many have high hopes that Valencia's capture can at least help to ease the burden of Ronaldo's departure, even if he doesn't turn out to be the heir apparent. He's direct, very quick and a fine dribbler, although for better or worse he lacks some of Cristiano's patented on-the-ball razzmatazz.

Even so, Valencia's physical stature will mean that United still have a tangible presence on the right. He's built solidly enough and stands a shade under 6ft tall – just a tad smaller than the departing Ronaldo. Former gaffer Bruce, though, previously outlined some more aspects of his game to get excited about, for those not familiar with his style of play.

"He has pace, trickery, he is as strong as an ox and has a great work ethic," he said after securing said permanent deal. More recently, he gushed, "Valencia is a dying breed: he's direct, quick and goes past players; he has the ability to dribble. He has an exceptional future."

Sounds great on paper, yet he's not everyone's cup of tea. He's a real source of energy and, with Wigan, he was able to pick up the ball and take the pressure off his own rearguard by giving back-pedalling defenders a headache, drawing them like flies to a lantern and creating gaps elsewhere. He'll hit the byline with alarming frequency, too. Still, at £16 million he's no bargain and a tangible end product will be expected at the Theatre of Dreams. Seven goals in 83 Wigan appearances won't whet too many appetites.

Subsequently, although more attacking signings could yet be made this summer, Valencia may provide balance more than anything else, with Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov forming a more obvious striking partnership. That's for Ferguson to decide in the coming weeks and months.

For the time being, Valencia has passed his initial tests. Signing for United despite interest from Madrid – before Cristiano has even left the building – is a good first impression. Furthermore, his mature first utterances are sure to inspire confidence in Fergie's judgement.

"It was Paul Jewell who first took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to play in England," Valencia said. "Chris Hutchings and Steve Bruce helped me to progress and it is a shame I won't get the chance to work with Roberto, because he is a great young manager and I'm sure his style of football would have suited me.

"I am happy that the club has benefited from the move financially, because I owe them such a lot. I just hope the fans at Wigan can understand that I am an ambitious guy."

It's just as well he is, because pie-in-the-sky daydreams are cast-iron expectations for Manchester United.

The legendary Brazilian striker feels Kaka will be the greatest Galactico...

Former Milan and Brazil legend Jose Altafini believes Kaka is better than Cristiano Ronaldo and he has tipped the Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or once again after scooping the award in 2007.

Kaka was officially unveiled by Real Madrid on Tuesday night in what was a high-profile, glitz and glamour press conference in front of 50,000 fans inside the Bernabeu. Altafini believes the Brazilian ace will be the star of the new Galacticos ahead of Portuguese winger Ronaldo, who is set to be unveiled by the club on Monday.

"I think Kaka is destined for greatness at Real Madrid and he will become their idol, just like he was at Milan and Sau Paolo," Altafini told Sky Sport Italia.

"I don't think you can judge Kaka and Ronaldo based on who scores the most, look at Pele and Maradona.

"In my opinion, and not because I am Brazilian, I think Kaka is the best. Ronaldo has extraordinary power and potential, but Kaka is better and I think he will win the Ballon d'Or again.

"He has a great personality and character and Milan fans will be suffering plenty following his departure."

Olympique Lyonnais have confirmed they have received a substantial offer for star striker Karim Benzema but insist there is no agreement with Real Madrid or any other club.


Empics
Karim Benzema: Uncertain future.
French and Spanish media reported on Wednesday that a €35m deal had been agreed with Primera Liga giants Madrid but Lyon's director of communications insists that is not the case.

"We certainly did receive an offer of a sum appreciably superior to the sum that has been mentioned, but nothing says that it comes from Real,'' Olivier Blanc told L'Equipe. "There is no agreement with anyone.''

Earlier on Wednesday, French radio station RMC quoted Benzema's agent as saying only personal terms needed to be settled before a deal with Real was complete.

Meanwhile, Spanish newspapers Marca and AS both claimed the highly-rated 21-year-old would shortly join £80m Cristiano Ronaldo and £56m Kaka in Madrid as president Florentino Perez continues to build a new team of galacticos.

Benzema, who is due to return to training with Lyon on Thursday, has been linked with a number of Europe's top clubs, including Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

On Tuesday Bosnian newspaper Sportsport quoted Lyon forward Miralem Pjanic as saying Benzema was close to completing a £38m move to Premier League champions United, but Pjanic has since denied making those comments.

"I have not granted any interview to the media," the Bosnian international said. "I do not know any other answer to say to you because I said nothing."

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