Fulham could be set for a fight to keep hold of one of their star men after it emerged that one has tabled an offer to take him away from Marco Silva’s side in January.
Fulham impressing in the Premier League
Though they were held to a goalless draw by Southampton in their most recent outing, it has been a strong start to the season for Fulham, who recruited aggressively over the summer.
Currently 9th, Fulham have lost just once in their last nine Premier League games, falling to a 4-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Wolves. In that time, they have held both Arsenal and Liverpool to draws, while they face Chelsea on Boxing Day hoping to go one better against their west London rivals.
It comes after Silva’s side broke their transfer record to sign Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe in the most recent transfer window, also adding Sander Berge to their midfield ranks and re-signing Joachim Andersen from Crystal Palace, with the trio giving the Cottagers a new-look spine.
But their form has not gone unnoticed, and players are beginning to catch the eye of bigger clubs, with Antonee Robinson the chief suspect amid reported interest from Liverpool in the USMNT star. He is not the only man strongly linked with a move away from west London in the months ahead though.
Club make £16m+ bid for Fulham star
Now, reports in Brazil [via Sport Witness] claim that Fulham are set to be offered the chance to cash in on chief creator Andreas Pereira this winter amid interest from Brazilian outlet Palmeiras.
Pereira hit the headlines in recent weeks for suggesting a move away from Craven Cottage would be “very cool”.
“It would be very cool [to go to Marseille], the way [Roberto] De Zerbi plays soccer. I was watching it with good eyes, but let’s see now in January or at the end of the season if there will be a transfer or if I will stay at Fulham”, he told the media in comments he later claimed were not accurate.
Palmeiras are a potential destination for the Brazilian. Previous reports revealed that the Brazil side had offered a swap deal to try and tempt the Cottagers into selling the ex-Manchester United talent involving Vitor Reis or Richard Rios, but now it is added that this deal was rejected and a fresh offer has been proposed.
This offer, without a player, consists of a flat fee of €20m [£16.5m], which could be raised to €22m [£18.2m] if Fulham reject the initial offer. The initial report claimed that Fulham were holding out for €30m [£25m], which suggests that the new bids may well be rejected out of hand by Silva’s side, though it is claimed that “Palmeiras are optimistic of reaching an agreement” over the midfielder.
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Any sale would come as a big loss to Silva’s side, with Pereira among the top players in the Premier League when it comes to creating chances this season. Only five players provide more shot creating actions than the Brazilian, and though he is yet to register an assist he should have managed two according to expected goals.
Kevin De Bruyne
7.31
Savio
6.53
Bukayo Saka
6.32
Jack Grealish
6.11
Cole Palmer
5.55
Andreas Pereira
5.52
Silva is also well aware of his qualities, dubbing him “outstanding” back in 2022 after his arrival at Craven Cottage. “He has been outstanding this season. I know a lot of people had doubts when I decided to sign him but I knew his qualities and his character“, he told Sky Sports.
However, with his £50,000 a week deal set to expire in 2026, his value is only decreasing and Fulham may well look to cash in on him sooner rather than later in a bid to still turn a profit.