Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been denying interest in acquiring the services of Karim Benzema for weeks.

He once again downplayed the issue to reporters over the weekend, with ESPN FC quoting Wenger as saying:

"I respect Thierry Henry's football knowledge, but it is not as simple that you just sign a striker like Benzema and then mathematically you win the title. It doesn't work like that... It is important to have a top striker, but I think Giroud will not be far from 20 goals. If he played the whole season he would have scored 20 and Walcott as well."

However, he could not deny it any longer as reports have sprouted stating that Arsenal executives have given Wenger the go signal to bid £45 million for Benzema.

The deal would be a club-record signing if finalized and would also shatter Mesut Ozil's weekly wage of £150,000 a week, the incumbent Arsenal signing record.

According to MailOnline, the Gunners may not have a trading chip to barter with Real Madrid but they do have the cash to coax the Los Blancos into giving up Benzema.

Arsenal has been keen on landing Benzema amid denials from Wenger. The Gunners have been hoping to improve on their roster. They treat the French forward as the final piece to their success this season.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, is reportedly targeting Man-City forward Sergio Aguero as a viable replacement for Benzema, yet transfer talks on that matter remain stale as the Premier League club has insisted that Aguero isn't for sale. However, with the purse Real Madrid would get from the Benzema to Arsenal deal, paying for Aguero may not be as difficult as it seems.

Meanwhile, a report has surfaced that Benzema has landed in London yesterday to take his medicals for Arsenal.

A reliable source told Venezuelan journalist Jeinny Lizarazo about the flight plan. Express stated that the South American reporter admitted that she doesn't usually break exclusive news from a source unless they are conclusively accurate.

She posted this on Twitter on Sunday:

For his part, Benzema has not downplayed recent transfer talks regarding himself. On the contrary, his Instagram post from two weeks ago has only managed to heighten speculations. It suggested that he has been visiting London to perhaps negotiate with a particular Emirates Stadium-based club?

As ESPN FC stated, the caption translates to "Let the past remain the past" while the hashtag reads "#lookingtothefuture."