Arsenal, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur are all reportedly keen on signing Brentford’s Championship star Said Benrahma.
Brentford have made a habit of signing little-known youngsters on the cheap before selling them on for a big profit. And Said Benrahma looks set to follow in the footsteps of Chris Mepham, Andre Grey and co as the summer transfer window looms large.
The Bees paid just £2.5 million to bring Benrahma to Griffin Park from Nice last summer, according to L’Equipe, but they could be set for a rather substantial windfall in the near future.
TEAMtalk claims that four Premier League clubs – Arsenal, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur – have all been checking out the 23-year-old in recent weeks. AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund are allegedly keen, too, with Brentford putting a £30 million price-tag on his head.
But what would Saunders bring to his next club, if indeed he does bid farewell to the Bees after just 12 months?
“I trained with him and I know it’s a big shout but he is a little bit like Lionel Messi in the way he can run with the ball with pace,” former Brentford midfielder Sam Saunders told Sky Sports recently.
“It just doesn’t leave his foot, it’s like it’s velcroed on.”
Obviously Benrahma has a long way to go to match the exploits of Barcelona’s little number ten but the comparisons are hardly ridiculous.
A skilful, left-footed attacker capable of producing something out of nothing, Benrahma has scored nine times and produced a further 11 assists in his debut Championship season with a hat-trick of wonder goals in a 5-1 thrashing of Hull City highlighting his staggering potential.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
