Betting latest: West Ham installed favourites to sign 56-time Mexico international (not Hernandez)
By Harvey Byrne
West Ham have been installed as the favourites to sign Benfica striker Raul Jimenez this summer, according to the latest bookmakers’ odds.
Sky Bet have priced the Hammers at 5/2 to sign the 26-year-old forward before the September deadline.
Fellow Premier League sides Everton (4/1), Liverpool (9/2) and Championship club Wolves (33/1) all trail behind the east Londoners in the betting rankings.
The odds follow a report from Portuguese news outlet Abola claiming that West Ham have joined the race to sign the Benfica attacker.
Manager Slaven Bilic has also been keen to add some more firepower to his side this summer and Marko Arnautovic has already joined from league rivals Stoke, while Javier Hernandez is reportedly closing in on a move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Jimenez shares the same nationality as Hernandez and the Benfica man has been capped 56 times at senior level for Mexico, scoring on 12 occasions.
Bilic may now be looking for them to build a new relationship in east London as he aims to take the club back into European competition.
Jimenez has been a part of the Benfica team since completing a move in August 2015 and last season he managed a return of 11 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese giants.
In other West Ham transfer news, a striker who almost joined the Hammers for £26million is now on the move for £13million.
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