Could West Ham United finally get a player they were linked with in 2015?
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, Benfica striker Raul Jimenez has received a very exciting offer to move to a Premier League club, and West Ham United fans will be interested to know that rival publication Record claims the Hammers could be swooping for the 26-year-old this summer.
The latter lists West Ham and Liverpool as the two potential suitors, so it remains to be seen if Slaven Bilic is about to complete some more summer business after the early capture of Pablo Zabaleta. But it does seem Jimenez is on his way to England in the coming days.
Back in 2015 West Ham made a bid for Jimenez yet he opted to instead join Benfica, admitting to A Bola that the latter’s presence in the Champions League was a major factor in his decision.
If things had worked out differently, Jimenez could have been one of Bilic’s first signings, instead he now looks to be heading to England two years later than initially thought.
West Ham are desperate for additional fire-power with Andy Carroll’s fitness continuing to cause a problem and the Hammers struggling for a consistent goal-threat last season.
Jimenez is predominantly a centre forward, although he can also operate as a secondary striker or a winger if required. He scored 11 goals in 32 appearances for Benfica in the last campaign, with three minor injuries ensuring he did not feature as much as he would have hoped.
In total he has found the net 23 times in 77 matches for the Portuguese club and the Mexican international would be a decent addition to West Ham’s squad if they are indeed the team in question.
Hammers fans are likely to find out one way or the other in the next few days.
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