West Ham United have switched their interest to Benfica forward Raul Jimenez, according to Portuguese media outlet Abola.

What’s the story?

It is clear from the regular news reports in the transfer gossip pages that West Ham are in the hunt for a striker.

Now it appears that Jimenez is on the Premier League club’s radar after scoring 11 goals and producing three assists in 32 appearances last season.

Abola claims that the Mexico international is expecting an offer from elsewhere and that Benfica could be open to selling him.

However, it is likely that the East London outfit would have to pay a substantial fee after he was made the most expensive Mexican player in history when Benfica forked out £18.9m for his signature from Atletico Madrid in 2015.

Is Jimenez worth the money?

Given the current market, West Ham are unlikely to get a striker on the cheap, but it remains to be seen how much Benfica would demand for Jimenez.

If they paid close to £20m two years ago, then the Portuguese outfit are going to want at least what they paid.

From West Ham’s point of view, they need to be wary of putting all their eggs in one basket with regards to Jimenez.

Last season, the Mexican forward suffered injury problems with his knee, groin and ankle.

Considering that the majority of West Ham’s front line was on the treatment table during the 2016-17 campaign, they need to make sure that they have a striker that can provide a consistent goal threat.

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