The silly season has indeed begun as players get linked with moves left, right and centre, with the latest one being right up there in the "are you kidding me" list with Arsenal and Real Madrid linked in a swap deal involving Alex Sanchez and Karim Benzema.
Sanchez has been a revelation since signing from Barcelona a couple of summers ago, with Arsene Wenger glowing in his praise for the Chilean every time he speaks about the forward.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old has quickly become one of the most popular players in the English Premier League as well, with Sanchez playing a big role in turning Arsenal into title contenders this season.
However, with good performances comes attention from some of the biggest clubs in the world, and while Arsenal are right up there amongst the biggest, Real Madrid are a few notches higher.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez likes making big signings, and bringing in a player who played for the old enemy a few seasons back will certainly be an interesting one to consider.
According to Fichajes, Real Madrid are willing to let Benzema go the other way in a bid to sign Sanchez.
Two immediate issues, though, crop up from this swap deal suggestion.
One, there is absolutely no way Arsene Wenger will be willing to sell Sanchez, with the Arsenal manager keen on handing the Chilean a new contract.
Two, Wenger will be wary of the issues that currently surround Benzema, with the whole blackmailing furore that also involves his France international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
While Wenger is a big fan of Benzema, and Arsenal tried their hardest to sign the striker in the summer transfer window, the Frenchman is also quite mindful of bringing in players with so much baggage, and that too at a high cost.
All the issues might get sorted out by the summer transfer window at the end of next season, but the chances of Benzema coming to the Emirates with Sanchez going to the Bernabeu in return are pretty slim.
