Lyon’s highly anticipated signing of Saïd Benrahma has fallen through due to issues with paperwork from West Ham, the club has confirmed. The Algerian international had even traveled to Lyon with his family in preparation for signing his contract. The medical examination earlier in the day and approval from the DNCG had all been successfully completed. However, West Ham failed to submit the necessary documents on time, which led to the transfer’s collapse, as stated in a press release by Lyon. « On February 2nd, Olympique Lyonnais deeply regrets the failure of Saïd Benrahma’s transfer, due to reasons beyond their control, and questions the behavior of West Ham, who failed to finalize the necessary administrative procedures despite all agreements reached. »
West Ham quickly responded, blaming the last-minute rush for the failed transfer. « West Ham United confirms that the deadline day agreement for Saïd Benrahma to join Lyon was not completed before the cutoff time, as the agreement could not be finalized before 11:00 PM », the club stated.
