TheCable

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been arrested by French authorities based on allegations of a plot to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

Benzema arrived at a police station near Paris early on Wednesday.

An investigation was opened in July into a suspected attempt to extort Valbuena, with police trying to determine the extent to which Benzema was aware of an intimate video which found its way into the hands of blackmailers.

Benzema’s name allegedly came up during phone taps in relation to the inquiry.

Valbuena, 31, currently plays for Lyon and was in the same France squad as Benzema at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

Former Liverpool striker, Djibril Cisse, who is currently without a club, was one of four people taken into custody last month before being released. He denies any involvement.