Fergie’s been trying to sign me 4 years

Posted Sunday, June 10, 2012 by The Sun

Fergie’s been trying to sign me 4 years
I WON'T BEND ... Karim Benzema says he is not for turning

KARIM BENZEMA has told Alex Ferguson: You won’t sign me.

The French superstar revealed United boss Fergie has spent the last FOUR YEARS trying to lure him to Manchester United.

But Benzema is sure of two things. He is staying at Real Madrid and tomorrow he will shoot down England’s Euro 2012 hopes.

The hitman said: “The rumours about my future are common, every summer it’s the same that I will be going to this club and that club.

“But I am very happy at Real Madrid and the thought about leaving has never crossed my mind.I know Manchester United have tried to sign me for the past three or four seasons. When I was at Lyon they and a number of other English clubs wanted me but could not agree terms with Lyon.

“Besides, I wanted to go to Spain and I can honestly say I have never regretted that decision.

“I’m still young and I have a contract at Madrid until 2015. I still want to achieve things at the club. I have had a taste of success after winning the Spanish title but I want more.”

Benzema, who is still just 24, does not rule out a spell in the Premier League one day though.

He added: “I would never say never about coming to England and, to be honest, I have no real preference in terms of teams. But that is a long way in the future, not something I would even consider at the moment.”

For now Benzema’s only interest is Euro 2012 — and Group D rivals England, Sweden and Ukraine.

The striker played at Euro 2008. But he was left out of the 2010 World Cup squad and was not involved in the general aggro and strike threats that saw Raymond Domenech’s side return home in disgrace.

Benzema was welcomed back to the international fold under new boss Laurent Blanc and has 15 goals in 45 games for Les Bleus.

He added: “We are in an extremely tough group. Our first objective is to qualify for the knockout stages, then we will take it from there.

“Anything can happen at that stage but we have not come into this competition with fear.

“The problems in the previous tournament at the World Cup in 2010 have been well documented but they are history.

“This is a new era under an exceptional coach and coming into the tournament unbeaten in 21 games will naturally lift the squad and give us confidence.”

Benzema accepts the French could not have had a more difficult start than facing England tomorrow night.

He declared: “We can’t afford to drop points against England. It’s not an easy game to get our campaign underway.

“There is no complacency because England are always among the favourites in any tournament.

“Much will be made about the absence of Wayne Rooney but that is not to say England don’t have alternatives in attack and players that don’t present a threat to France.

“England have players with vast experience but then we have some very experienced players and some extremely talented young players. We also have a coach who knows the English well, so we are well prepared.

“On our day though we are confident we can win. We are not looking for a draw, we are looking to get our campaign off to a winning start.

“I can assure you we have left no stone unturned looking at the way England play and what to expect from them.

“Of course we have players in the team who play in England so that will be an advantage.

“The scouting reports have been extensive and our preparations second to none.”

Despite putting a disappointing and controversial World Cup campaign behind them, Benzema accepts that the French need to restore their reputation in football.

He added: “We can only achieve that by performing on the field, winning games and showing people that we are a nation to be feared at this tournament.”

And Benzema is hell bent on playing a major role by scoring the goals that will ultimately bring success.

He said: “Naturally I’m a striker and my job is to score goals. One of my dreams is to win the Golden Boot at a major tournament and this would be as good a time as any.

“I genuinely think France will surprise a few people here. I accept there are other countries like Spain, Holland and Germany who are fancied more than us but it would be a very big mistake to underestimate us.

“The best possible way to do that is to make sure we beat England. That will send out a clear message of intent from the French, that we are not here to make up numbers, that we are here as serious contenders.”