According to the latest reports from Birmingham Live, Aston Villa are looking to sign Said Benrahma and a mystery striker on the final day of the transfer window. Benrahma’s name has been in the pipeline for quite a while now, and it remains to be seen now whether Villa would be able to pull off this signing. Brentford are reportedly demanding £25m for their star man and Villa are only keen on a deal between £15-20m.
Therefore something might have to give in the final few hours of the window. Brentford should be in a strong position to negotiate as Benrahma is still on a long term contract at the club having been signed in the summer of 2018. Moreover, the Bees would find it hard to get a replacement for him in the last minute, so we don’t expect them to budge from their asking price for the Algerian.
Why is Smith keen on Benrahma?
The winger started 29 games for the Bees last season and scored ten goals and provided with 14 assists. He is only going to improve from here as that was his first season in England. Smith has already indicated that the club will be looking to pull off a few more signings even after spending well over £100m in this window.
Smith is the one who brought Benrahma to the English Championship, and he is known to be an admirer of the player.
The winger is a versatile attacking option as he can play through the middle as well. Benrahma is known for agility, pace and acceleration. He also has quick feet, which helps him to wriggle out of tight spaces, and he can be a tough man to stop when on a song. However, what has really stood out is his impact in the final third.
The Algerian has been scoring and assisting for almost fun, and there is no doubt in our mind that he is a Premier League quality player.
Should Smith pay £25m?
We think that Brentford are unlikely to budge and it is Villa who might have to blink first in this deal. Benrahma easily has the potential to double his price if he goes on to have a decent season in the Premier League. We can easily see him go for £40-50m in a few years, so we think that the winger is worth paying £25m in this window. It remains to be seen now what would transpire in the last few hours.
