Chelsea will “consider the possibility” of signing Al-Ittihad striker Karim Benzema on loan for the rest of the season, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Blues are struggling to raise the funds necessary to sign one of their primary targets for the no.9 position.

Victor Osimhen will cost in excess of £120m this month to prise him away from Napoli, while Ivan Toney is now expected to remain at Brentford until the end of the campaign.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino is said to be keen on bringing in a striker, especially with Christopher Nkunku being sidelined again with injury, so a short-term solution is likely to be considered.

That is why a loan move for Benzema or, potentially, another forward based in Saudi Arabia is being looked at.

What are the chances that Benzema will move to Stamford Bridge?

The 5-time Champions League winner has had a decent first season in the Saudi Pro League, having scored 12 goals in 20 appearances for Al-Ittihad. His team are, however, languishing in midtable and he may be open to playing in the Premier League.

There is a massive stumbling block that Chelsea would have to overcome though. Benzema is reportedly earning a staggering £3.3m a week so, for a loan to be possible, Al-Ittihad would have to continue paying the majority of his wages.

Are Chelsea considering alternatives?

If a move for Benzema proves too costly, there are other players in Saudi Arabia who could be more realistic targets for the London club.

Former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino has struggled to settle since making the switch to Al-Ahli. There is a feeling that the Brazilian would be open to returning to Europe.

However, there are question marks over whether he’d solve Chelsea’s scoring problems. Firmino has not hit the back of the net since scoring a hat-trick on his debut for Al-Ahli back in mid-August.