Report: West Ham and Arsenal need to pay £20m for Rafa Benitez

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Arsenal have joined West Ham United in registering an interest in Rafa Benitez, but the Daily Mail reports that the Gunners and Hammers would have to pay over £20 million to bring the Spaniard back to the Premier League.

Arsenal are searching for their next permanent manager after sacking Unai Emery last month. Meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini seemed to remove some of the pressure on his shoulders by overseeing a victory at Chelsea.

It appears that it was an important victory for the Chilean as the Mail has suggested that the Irons hierarchy have already started taking an interest in Benitez.

The Mail also suggested that the former Newcastle United boss has his admirers at the Emirates. However, a move for the Dalian Yifang boss appears to be out of the question for the time-being.

That is because the Mail is reporting that the Chinese Super League side would demand a world-record fee in excess of £20 million for Benitez. It is noted that that fee should decrease the further he gets into his contract.

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Benitez is a fantastic manager. He did a brilliant job for much of his time at Newcastle. And he has enjoyed some degree of success at almost every club he has been with.

Nevertheless, Arsenal and West Ham would be forgiven for halting their interest immediately. Paying £20 million for the Spaniard looks to be somewhat unnecessary.

He could prove a great appointment for a lower fee. But considering some of the other names who have been linked or who are impressing right now, it would surely be a mistake to pay that sort of fee for Benitez. And it is a move that is now difficult to imagine either pursuing.