Chelsea ‘accelerate’ acquisition of Brentford winger Saïd Benrahma — report

Who is Saïd Benrahma? No idea! Apparently I don’t play enough Football Manager or watch enough non-top flight football to know off-hand.

That doesn’t necessary mean anything beyond the audible “who?” that was my initial reaction to reading this rumor, which comes to us via “La Gazette du Fennec”, which sounds like a trustworthy-enough name. (“Fennec” as in Fennec fox is the nickname of the Algeria national football team, for whom Benrahma has three caps.)

LGDF’s exclusive (we’re on first-name/acronym basis already) claims that Chelsea have stepped on the accelerator in the pursuit of the 24-year-old former OGC Nice winger, who’s been with Brentford in the Championship the last two years (and thus played against Lampard & Co last season, scoring once and assisting twice). Tighten your seatbelts, boys and girls!

In fairness, Benrahma, who has two years left on his contract, has put together back-to-back ten-goal seasons, plus 25 total assists in the same span, and was apparently subject to a €16m approach from Aston Villa last summer. Brentford wanted €40m at the time, but the report now Bee-lieves that the Bees would beeee buzzing to do business at €30-35m.

That still seems rather hopeful for a second division transfer — would practically match the record sale in the Championship (£30m that Spurs and Everton paid for Moussa Sissoko and Jordan Pickford, respectively) — but maybe Benrahma is worth it?

I mean I sort of doubt it, just based on the circumstantial evidence, but I make no claims beyond that. At least this is a more intriguing rumor than the one about the Birdman Max Headroom Bird.

BEHOLD THE ALGERIAN MESSI: