West Ham have been strongly linked with a move for Brentford midfielder Said Benrahma this summer though they are not the only team reportedly keen on his services.
Chelsea are seemingly frontrunners for the attacking midfielder and Frank Lampard has scouted the midfielder. Arsenal and Premier League newcomers Leeds United are among the interested clubs in Benrahma as well as the Hammers and the Blues.
Brentford are currently embroiled in the Championship play-offs, losing the first leg against Swansea City 1-0 on Sunday ahead of the return leg at Griffin Park on Wednesday as Thomas Frank’s side chase a place in the Premier League for the first ever time.
Benrahma, 24, scored 17 goals and bagged nine assists from Brentford’s 43 league games as they missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the campaign.
The Algerian has a contract until the end of the 2022 season in west London.
Brentford boss Frank has suggested that a star player will likely depart should they not win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
“It's strange for me to talk about next season when we have so much to play for still but the short of it is I'm 100% sure we will get stronger next season,” Frank said .
"We know how Brentford works, so it's likely one player will go but let's see”
If Benrahma does sign then he won’t get his favoured shirt number, 10, which he wears at Brentford and also wore at French side Chateauroux earlier in his career because that is currently occupied by Manuel Lanzini in east London.
However, Lanzini is one of the players whose future is somewhat uncertain in east London as he has struggled to recapture the form he showed prior to his serious knee injury he sustained ahead of the 2018 World Cup which ruled him out for the best part of a year. If Moyes manages to ditch Lanzini then Benrahma could take his number.
Moyes is looking to make some sales this summer and Lanzini, along with the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko could see themselves moved on from the capital if the right offer comes in,
