Benzema held in police custody overnight as part of Valbuena blackmail case

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been taken into custody by French police and will remain at a police station in Versailles overnight as part of an investigation into an alleged blackmail ploy involving his international teammate, Mathieu Valbuena.

Benzema was brought in for questioning on Wednesday morning for a case which centers on Valbuena allegedly being extorted over a sex tape. French law allows police to keep detainees for up to 48 hours.

L'Equipe reports, according to the Guardian, that Benzema is being questioned about the intent behind a conversation the two players shared while on national team duty with France at the beginning of October. The content of that conversation was not revealed, but reports say police want to determine whether Benzema was part of the plot.

His arrest comes two weeks after another French footballer, Djibril Cisse, was also brought in by French police in connection to this investigation.

Benzema's lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, told reporters that the player would respond to any legal summons, adding that Benzema was the target of a similar issue with blackmailers in 2011.

"Karim wishes to put an end to all the polemics that have emerged following this case, in which he has played no part whatsoever," Cormier told AFP. "When his name first emerged in the press, Karim immediately made it clear that he was standing at the disposal of investigators.

"Karim went to Versailles to answer some questions, but he has absolutely not done anything wrong. He has nothing to hide. He is happy and quite satisfied to be able to finally end this painful controversy."