Brentford eye swoop for Portsmouth's Ronan Curtis to replace Said Benrahma

The Championship club fear they could lose the talented Algerian international should they fail to win promotion to the Premier League.

Presently, they are third in the table – three points behind second-placed West Brom with three games remaining.

However, Benrahma’s 17 goals in 40 Championship appearances is sure to attract strong interest this summer.

The News understands Pompey’s Curtis is among those being considered by the Bees as a contingency plan.

The Republic of Ireland international was impressive once again during the 2019-20 campaign, finishing as runner-up in The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season.

His 14 goals established him as the Blues’ joint-top scorer alongside John Marquis, although none of the winger’s tally came from the penalty spot.

There was interest in his services from Blackburn and Reading during the January transfer window, yet he remained at Fratton Park.

Instead Curtis committed himself to the club by signing a three-and-a-half year deal in February, taking him to the summer of 2023.

However, his reputation has continued to soar and he netted for Pompey in their play-off semi-final first-leg encounter with Oxford United.

In total, the left-sided Curtis has scored 26 goals in 93 appearances since joining from Derry for an undisclosed fee in May 2018.

With Pompey condemned to another season in League One following play-off defeat to Oxford, there is certain to be added interest in the 24-year-old.

Now high-flying Brentford have him in their sights, with Benrahma looking to have booked himself a ticket to the Premier League regardless of how their season finishes.

Curtis is not the only Pompey player attracting interest, with Crystal Palace keen on keeper Alex Bass.

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