West Ham United: Dharmesh Sheth shares fresh Said Benrahma update on Sky Sports
Marseille remain interested in West Ham winger Said Benrahma, despite a bid of over £15million being tabled by French rivals Lyon, according to Dharmesh Sheth.
The journalist reported via Sky Sports’ live transfer blog [30 January, 08:48] that the Hammers ideally want to bring somebody in as a replacement before letting Benrahma leave, and are still considering the bid.
It is also said that West Ham continue to explore potential deals for Al-Ittihad’s Jota and FC Nordsjaelland winger Ibrahim Osman before the deadline on 1 February.
Drive up the price
A bid higher than £15million seems like it would be a good deal for the Hammers, but if they can use the interest from a rival club to drive up the price, they must take the opportunity to earn the highest possible amount of money from this deal.
Benrahma moved to the London Stadium from Brentford for £20million, with an extra £5million in add-ons in 2021 [The Standard], so if they can drive the price closer to breaking even on their investment, it will be considered a good deal.
If they are to bring in a replacement before letting the Algerian go, they will need to speed up negotiations with both Jota and Osman, despite reports elsewhere that both deals would be difficult to pull off this month.
The Hammers cannot afford for Lyon to lose interest by taking too long to decide on a bid, especially if there is no indication of a higher price, with just days remaining of the January transfer window. If they decide £15million+ is worth taking, they must do so.
In other West Ham news, transfer talks have been held on Monday.
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