According to Santi Aouna, writing on the FootMercato website (3 January), Lyon has extended a contract offer to West Ham winger Said Benrahma, signaling their intention to secure a £19.8 million transfer in January and nudging ahead of Wolves and Fulham in the pursuit for the Algeria international.

As per Aouna’s report, West Ham is open to parting ways with the former Brentford player for £19.8 million, given his diminished role this season. However, Benrahma is yet to finalize his decision regarding his future beyond the current month.

Aouna noted, “Olympique Lyon have made a contract offer to Said Benrahma. No offer to West Ham yet. Fulham and Wolves are also interested in the Algerian, who has not yet made a decision on his future. OL will also have to convince West Ham. The French team has not yet made its proposal to the Hammers, who are asking for €23 million (£19.8m). According to our information, OL has enough liquidity to handle an outright transfer.”

The readiness of Lyon to pursue contract negotiations with Benrahma’s camp suggests that preliminary discussions with West Ham may have taken place to gauge the viability of a potential deal. Lyon appears willing to meet West Ham’s acceptable asking price and is poised to pursue personal terms with the player.

While Benrahma’s departure may not be the preference of West Ham supporters due to his contribution to the team’s quality, his desire for regular game time elsewhere is understandable. Should a mutually beneficial deal materialize, West Ham would need to target and secure a suitable replacement to maintain the squad’s balance.