Fulham Transfer Rumour Round-Up: Summer 2022, Edition 8

Cam rifles through the latest stack of transfer reports to see who could be next through the gates at Motspur Park.

Every signing Fulham have made this summer – barring Shane Duffy – has been preceded by a lengthy transfer saga. Rife with flashing klaxon emojis and cries of “here we go”, we’ve refreshed timelines maniacally to keep up to date with developments, and that is precisely where this latest edition comes into play.

Marco Silva’s only got a matter of days left to pad out his class of 2022/23 and there are a handful of potential acquisitions within this article that are really attractive. Fulham’s squad has quality, but in various areas it’s still thin. Don’t scrimp, Tony Khan; let’s fatten it up with some extra substance and spice.

Moussa Dembele – Olympique Lyonnais

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He may have graduated from our youth ranks, but a report published by Foot Mercato states that Lyon’s Moussa Dembele is not open to a return to Craven Cottage anytime soon. The French outlet submits that alongside Fulham, Everton, West Ham United are also tracking Dembele’s potential availability, however the striker’s allegedly angling for a move that suits his financial and footballing aspirations.

At 26, Dembele is presumably nearing his best years as a professional sportsman, but since Alexandre Lacazette re-joined Les Gones, he’s fallen out of favour as the club’s leading marksman, so it will be intriguing to see where the former Fulham prospect eventually ends up, if he is to depart the Ligue 1 side this summer.

Neal Maupay – Brighton & Hove Albion

According to Sky Sports, Fulham are hosting negotiations with both Brighton and Neal Maupay’s representatives, with the intention of striking a permanent deal for the Premier League-ready striker. Nottingham Forest and Everton are also prepared to rival the Whites for the £15m-rated Frenchman’s services.

Aleksandar Mitrovic will need to be kept on his toes if he’s to continue his hot scoring streak and Maupay would be a tremendous addition for that reason alone. The 26-year-old, formerly of Brentford, of course, is the Seagulls’ joint record scorer in the top-flight and if we’re able to capture his signature, our corner of SW6 will be the shithouse capital of the footballing world. Shaking cages as well as rattling strikes beyond ‘keepers, I like the sound of that very much.

Pawel Dawidowicz – Hellas Verona

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It’s Football Insider’s understanding that Fulham and Nottingham Forest are monitoring Hellas Verona’s Pawel Dawidowicz, and Marco Silva’s apparently keener on the Poland international centre-half. With Issa Diop and Shane Duffy already through the door, Fulham aren’t short of capable centre-backs but never say never.

The 27-year-old’s current contract runs until 2025 and is highly regarded at the Serie A outfit and his asking price, for that matter, is not yet known either. Dawidowicz has also recently recuperated from a knee injury, so while we shouldn’t necessarily write anything off during this transfer window, perhaps it’s best to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements after all.

Nicolas Jackson – Villarreal CF

Sources at Football Insider believe that Fulham, Everton and Southampton are tailing Villarreal’s promising attacker Nicolas Jackson, although La Liga side are supposedly reluctant to part ways with the 21-year-old.

If an interested was to activate his £27m release clause, however, the Yellow Submarine would effectively be powerless to dissuade the Senegal star from leaving El Madrigal and as Jackson’s been likened to his compatriot Sadio Mane, it surely won’t be long until a tempting bumper offer is tabled because his burgeoning reputation’s clearly sparkling.

Ben Brereton Diaz – Blackburn Rovers

The Whites – as disclosed by The Sun – are thought to be tracking Blackburn Rovers’ Ben Brereton Diaz, and they are not alone in their pursuit of the dangerous Chile international striker. Numerous unnamed Premier League clubs are also apparently chasing the 23-year-old, so if Fulham are serious, they’ll have to meet a figure in the region of £20m.

In more than130 outings for Rovers, Brereton Diaz has netted 33 goals and he’s also supplied 13 assists. He’s versatile, too, as he’s able to play out wide and through the middle as a leading target man, and since he linked up with the Chilean national fold, the Stoke-on-Trent-born star’s game’s been revolutionised.

Layvin Kurzawa – Paris Saint-Germain

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An article released by Evening Standard indicates that Paris Saint-Germain’s Layvin Kurzawa is being eyed by Fulham, however an official bid, neither temporary or permanent, has been issued by the Whites for the French left-back.

Silva’s wanting to bolster his defensive options before the close of the window and Kurzawa, 29, is incidentally surplus to requirement at PSG. He’s a lively fullback to say the very least but as he only played 9 minutes of competitive football last season in its entirety, Kurzawa will be itching for consistent game time but his severe lack of match practice is an alarming drawback. Nevertheless, given his underlying ability and Champions League pedigree, this would be an excellent upgrade on Joe Bryan.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Arsenal

It seems evermore likely that Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be sold by Arsenal this summer and the Daily Express has hinted that Fulham and AFC Bournemouth are prepared to offer the 24-year-old utility man a Premier League lifeline.

Maitland-Niles spent the second half of the previous campaign at UEFA Conference League champions AS Roma, although he has played no part in Mikel Arteta’s plans this season thus far. The Hale End graduate is in the final year of his contract at the Gunners, so he could be available for a discounted price if the north Londoners are happy to sell in the coming weeks. Versed in a range of roles from right wingback to central midfield, AMN’s convertibility would be a huge benefit to Silva’s system and if we’re a genuine participant in the race for his unwanted services, we have to get business done, pronto.