'Why have him on bench?': Real Madrid chief Perez aims sly dig at Man City new boy Haaland

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has taken a sly dig at Manchester City's new signing Erling Haaland by suggesting that the Norwegian is only good enough to make their bench. Perez's comments interestingly come just a few weeks after Los Blancos failed in their pursuit of signing Kylian Mbappe, who is one of the rising stars alongside Haaland.

Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez takes sly dig at Erling Haaland

In an interview with El Chiringuito, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said, "We have the best nine in the world and we weren't going to bring in Haaland to have him on the bench, right? We have no interest now other than to build the new team with the youngsters we have and some reinforcement."

With Karim Benzema having been in outstanding form throughout last season, it would have been difficult for anyone, including Erling Haaland, to replace him in the starting line-up. The 34-year-old Frenchman scored a staggering 44 goals and contributed with 15 assists in just 46 games in all competitions.

With Real Madrid also having won a record-extending 35th La Liga title and a record-extending 14th UEFA Champions League, Benzema is undoubtedly one of the frontrunners to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or. If Benzema were to guide France to the FIFA World Cup later this year, it would be extremely difficult for him to not win one of the most prestigious individual awards.

While Benzema enjoyed an incredible season with Los Blancos, Erling Haaland also had a spectacular campaign with Borussia Dortmund last year. The Norwegian striker scored 22 goals and contributed with seven assists in just 24 Bundesliga appearances last season.

Real Madrid have made two new signings to bolster their squad

While Los Blancos missed out on the opportunity to sign Kylian Mbappe, they have made two vital additions to their squad. After signing Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer, Carlo Ancelotti's side have also signed 22-year-old defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni for a whopping €100m. With Real Madrid already making two quality signings, it remains to be seen if they will make any other signings to bolster their squad further.