According to reports in French publication L’Equipe, Real Betis are closing in on the signing of Montpellier attacking midfielder Ryan Boudebouz after agreeing a fee in the region of £6.2m for the player, but they are concerned that Premier League side West Ham United could still trump their offer.

According to France Football, via L’Equipe, on July 25, Slaven Bilic’s men were named as one of the potential suitors for Boudebouz with the Irons boss keen to strengthen his squad and attacking options following a disappointing campaign at the London Stadium – something he has already started to solve by bringing in Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez this summer.

The Algerian has been an influential performer for Montpellier since a move from Bastia in 2015 – form that has attracted the interest of a number of clubs – and he looks set to leave the side that only narrowly avoided relegation to Ligue 2 last term.

Even though a deal has been agreed between the Ligue 1 outfit and Real Betis, the Hammers certainly shouldn’t give up on the impressive 27-year-old.

Here are three reasons West Ham must hijack Real Betis’ move for Boudebouz…

Statistics

Only five players created more than 100 chances in Europe’s top five league’s last season – Mesut Ozil, Christian Eriksen, Kevin De Bruyne, a certain Dimitri Payet and top of the list – Boudebouz.

The 27-year-old created a remarkable 117 opportunities for his teammates in 33 Ligue 1 appearances last term and his creativity was one of the main reasons that Montpellier finished the campaign three points above the relegation zone.

Even though he only picked up nine assists throughout the campaign, he showed how influential he can be in front of goal by netting on 11 occasions, while he also proved that he can dribble by successfully completing 84 take-ons.

Potential

Soccer Football - Altona 93 vs West Ham United - Pre Season Friendly - Hamburg, Germany - August 1, 2017   West Ham United's Javier Hernandez    Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Last season, Boudebouz would probably have cut a frustrated figure if he was a West Ham player with a lack of strikers to create for as Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho spent the majority of the campaign on the sidelines through injury.

However, it should be a different story at the London Stadium next season after the Irons signed Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez, and the Algeria international would certainly be confident that the duo would be more than capable of putting away the chances he makes.

Hernandez in particular, who is known for his clinical finishing and finding himself in the right place at the right time could particularly benefit from Boudebouz’s creativity, and the partnership between the two could prove to be a fruitful one.

Price tag

L’Equipe says that despite Real Betis agreeing a fee of £6.2m for Boudebouz, the club president Lorenzo Serra Ferrer says they would be unable to match an offer of more than £7.6m, with the report suggesting that West Ham could get their man for a fee in the region of £11.2m.

If that is true, it is a bargain in the current market considering how influential the 27-year-old has shown he can be, and the Irons must consider paying the price.

Slaven Bilic’s men have certainly been missing that creative spark since Payet left for Marseille during the January transfer window, and the addition of Boudebouz in the middle of the park would go some way to solving that issue.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.