Report: West Ham Must Meet €50M Demand for Benfica Forward Raul Jimenez
West Ham have seemingly been priced out of a move for Benfica forward Raul Jimenez, according to Portuguese outlet Record.
The London side were hoping to bring the Mexican in to possibly partner him up front with compatriot Javier Hernandez, but the Primeira Liga outfit are said to be adamant over their €50M (£45.8m) valuation of the player, as reported by football.london.
Jimenez had been linked with the Hammers for quite some time, and many were of the view that he would ultimately sign for Slaven Bilic's side. However, the above-mentioned fee is believed to have put the Londoners off.
Given the fact that West Ham have already made pricey purchases in the form of Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, and are also in talks to sign Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho for £40m, it is unlikely they'll match Benfica's demands.
The Portuguese side are reported as having rejected a bid of £22.7m from Everton this week, and if the Toffees decide to fork out the sum they want, then the player will most certainly be on his way to Goodison Park.
Earlier this summer, Jimenez made certain comments which seemed to suggest that he was open to moving to England.
He said: “The Premier League is a great championship, but you have to wait. I don’t close any doors and we’ll see what happens. I’m still at Benfica. Now, I’m going to have a good vacation then go back to work with everything.
“I saw the news came out but I don’t know anything. I was concentrating on the national team. I have a date to return to Benfica, to join the pre-season games and I’m in the club’s hands.”
