Report: West Brom join Premier League chase for Benfica’s Raul Jimenez

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Raul Jimenez has hardly been prolific for Atletico Madrid and Benfica but West Brom, West Ham, Everton and Liverpool are still being linked.

Benfica are used to losing their key players year in year out, and the summer of 2017 has been no different.

Nelson Semedo was headhunted to be Dani Alves’ long-term successor at Barcelona, Victor Lindelof finally joined Manchester United for big-money and Ederson became the second-most expensive goalkeeper in history when putting pen to paper at City.

Now, the Primeira Liga champions, who the Independent claimed in January were in more debt than any other club in Europe bar Manchester United, have turned their attention towards finding a buyer for Mexican international Raul Jimenez.

Jimenez scored once in this summer’s Confederations Cup, a stunner against New Zealand

Benfica’s record signing when they rescued him from his Atletico Madrid nightmare in 2015 for around £18 million (Planet Benfica), Jimenez has been linked with Everton, Liverpool and West Ham this summer by The Sun but currently remains in Lisbon.

However, Correio da Manha claims there is a new name in the frame for the striker, who scored seven goals in just six starts last season to help Benfica to a fourth straight league crown.

West Brom have been searching for a striker all summer after Salomon Rondon’s inconsistent 2016/17 and it appears they have now turned their attention to Jimenez. Benfica are said to be demanding around £35 million, which would make the Mexican The Baggies’ all-time record transfer.

Worth the money?

The report adds that West Ham, who were supposedly close to signing Jimenez this weekend, have now cooled their interest after they completed the signing of his El Tri strike partner Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen.

Jimenez moved to Europe from Mexican outfit America in 2014, but scored just once in 27 La Liga appearances for Atletico Madrid, failing miserably to replace the Chelsea-bound Diego Costa, and was flogged to Benfica just 12 months later.

In total, Jimenez has scored just 13 league goals in 68 appearances in European leagues, a concerning strike rate hardly befitting of a £35 million striker.