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Real Madrid will offer French striker Karim Benzema a new deal in June 2017, AS understands.

The forward’s current contract, which ends on June 30, 2019, will be extended until 2021 or 2022.

With this, the club want to express their confidence in Benzema – who’s come under fire for below-par performances during 2016/17 – and tie him down at Los Blancos for the foreseeable future .

Madrid intend to finalise the agreement at the end of the ongoing campaign, taking advantage of the fact that there is no major tournament this summer.

Full screen Karim Benzema Juan Carlos Hidalgo (DIARIO AS)

2nd renewal to offer another pay rise

It will be Benzema’s second renewal since he arrived in the Spanish capital back in 2009. The previous extension, in 2014, saw the former-Lyon man improve his salary substantially, rising from €5 million annually to around €8m per season.

This new deal will again see a rise in Benzema wages and take him past the decade mark as Real Madrid’s ‘number 9’. And If Benzema sees out the extension, he’ll be 34 by the time his contract is up.

Benzema's performances, however, have dropped off compared to last season. During 2016/17 the Frenchman netted 12 times in 1,756 minutes (one goal every 146.3 mins), while the previous campaign he scored 28 in 2,597 minutes (one every 92.7 mins).

Throughout his entire Madrid career, Benzema has bagged 173 goals, making him the club’s eighth highest scorer of all time.