Newcastle, Leicester target £30m forward rated as Champ’s best player
Newcastle United and Leicester City are interested in signing Said Benrahma from Brentford in the summer transfer window, according to a report.
The Sun has reported that Premier League duo Newcastle and Leicester are willing to pay £15million for the 24-year-old winger at the end of the season, though the Bees are likely to demand as much as £30m for a man seen by many pundits as the best player in the Championship.
Aston Villa were linked with the Algeria international last summer and were said to be willing to cough up as much as £20m.
The Villans, who are in danger of getting relegated from the Premier League, were also chasing the winger in January and so were Chelsea, according to the Daily Mail.
TEAMtalk exclusively revealed in March 2019 that Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham United and Crystal Palace all were watching the winger, and that Brentford valued him at nearer the £30m mark,
However, no move materialised last summer or in January of this year, and Benrahma is still at Brentford, who are now very much reaping the benefits of that decision.
The Bees are fifth in the Championship table as it stands with 50 points from 30 matches.
Thomas Frank’s side are only five points behind second-placed Leeds United and take on Marcelo Bielsa’s side at Griffin Park next Tuesday – with Benrahma likely to be a key figure.
Benrahma joined Brentford from Nice in 2018 for £1.5m and has established himself as an hugely-important player for the London club.
The winger has made 23 starts and four substitute appearances in the Championship so far this season, scoring eight goals and providing five assists in the process, including a hat-trick last time away at Hull.
During the 2018-19 campaign, the Algerian made 29 starts and nine substitute appearances in the league for the Bees, scoring 10 goals and providing 14 assists in the process.
READ MORE: Leicester City reportedly scouted a player also wanted by Manchester United at the weekend.
