West Ham close to agreeing Benrahma fee after £13m King bid is rejected
West Ham are close to agreeing a fee with Brentford for Saïd Benrahma after having a £13m bid for Bournemouth’s Joshua King rejected. David Moyes is keen to strengthen his attack and West Ham are increasingly likely to sign Benrahma, one of the standout performers in the Championship last season.
Brentford are open to selling Benrahma, who scored 17 goals as they reached the Championship play-off final, providing suitors meet a valuation north of £25m. West Ham held productive talks over the weekend and could meet the asking price by offering £20m plus lucrative add-ons. They hope to be in a position to discuss personal terms with the Algerian winger soon.
West Ham have also targeted King, who is out of contract next summer. The striker is keen to return to the Premier League and has attracted interest from Aston Villa, Brighton and West
Brom, who are also pushing to sign a striker before Friday’s deadline for deals between the top flight and the English Football League. Bournemouth are thought to want more than £17m.
Last week Bournemouth rejected a €7m (£6.35m) bid from the Serie A side Torino for King. He is understood to be keen to play as a No 9, as opposed to operating as a wide forward, a role he has excelled in at Bournemouth.
Brentford, in setting their asking price for Benrahma, will likely point towards Ollie Watkins, who joined Aston Villa last month for a club-record £28m, plus add-ons, as a benchmark. They also rejected numerous bids worth about £10m from Arsenal for the goalkeeper David Raya, who has since signed a new four-year contract.
West Ham are also seeking defensive reinforcements and are expected to sign Watford’s Craig Dawson after missing out on a host of other targets. The centre-back is unlikely to cost more than £4m.