Fulham Rumour Round-Up: Fred, Gray, Wimmer

Cam’s back for the first instalment of our silly season transfer round-up. Who on this list takes your fancy?

Brace yourself, silly season’s rocked up again and it’s gonna be busy. Very, very busy. Our timelines have been inundated with transfer talk, Fulham secured their Premier League status for another season much earlier than forecast and as a result, the rumours started earlier than usual. We’ve been linked with Olivier Giroud in recent months, Hakim Ziyech has been mooted in the same sentence as Fulham as well as Reiss Nelson amongst others but as there’s far too many to recap, we’ll begin with the most recent scoops and go from there.

Each week, we’ll condense the latest into bitesize morsels; there’ll be plenty to digest over the coming weeks but our eyes are peeled, we’ve an ear to the ground and we’re forever refreshing the apps for breaking news, solid or tenuous. Will we invest in the next best Joao Palhinha? Will we unearth an unknown gem for pennies? The fun and the sagas are so nearly upon us and we cannot wait for Marco Silva to get stuck in.

Fred – Manchester United

You may have noticed a snap of Silva chatting with Manchester United midfielder, Fred, after the Red Devils’ 2-1 victory over the Fulham on the final day of the season and, well, there’s no smoke without fire. Fred has one year outstanding on his current contract at Old Trafford, he’s been touted for a potential switch to Craven Cottage this summer and when he was quizzed about his future following United’s FA Cup Final defeat on June 3rd, he responded (via Metro): “I still don’t know, I have to talk with my family, I still have one year left in my contract here.”

During the Whites’ encounter with United, Fred expertly set-up his team’s second of the afternoon and he was a nuisance throughout. A Brazil international, Fred, 30, would presumably feel at home in SW6 as the squad’s blessed with fellow Brazilians, as well as Portuguese-speaking members, and it’s thought his relationship with Andreas Pereira is also great. Needless to add, but if we somehow manage to pull this off, it would be a massive marker of intent as Fred would definitely upgrade our engine room.

Demarai Gray – Everton

Demarai Gray is entering the final year of his contract at Everton and subject to a Sky Sports report, Fulham are supposedly eyeing up the Toffees winger, however there is an option for the 26-year-old to extend his stay on Merseyside until 2025. Let go by German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 for just £1.7m, Gray’s form for Everton hasn’t been glowing by any means but he is a player that can cause issues when he’s focused.

Formerly of Leicester City, the energetic attacker’s familiar with the pressures of Premier League football and as Everton narrowly avoided the drop last season, he contributed four goals and one assist in 33 outings. This is a return that, in my opinion, would double in a better-drilled team such as Fulham and if we could snag him at a cut price, I’d have no qualms or reservations whatsoever.

Alassane Plea – Borussia Monchengladbach

A trio of London-based clubs – as per Foot Mercato – are said to be tracking wantaway Borussia Monchengladbach striker Alassane Plea. The French publication believes that West Ham United, Crystal Palace and indeed Fulham are in the running for the 30-year-old, who is apparently unhappy with his positional role at the Bundesliga outfit. He’s been at Borussia Park since 2018 when he was purchased for €23m from OGC Nice.

Daniel Farke’s deployed Plea out wide, however the one-time France international prefers to play through the middle as a central focal point up top. Subsequently, his form waned towards the back end of the season but two goals and 13 assists in 31 appearances in all competitions isn’t a horrendous offering by any means. Plea’s clearly productive, if he’s utilised to his strengths he could promise even more success in front of the target although I’m not convinced he’d want to warm the bench in Aleksandar Mitrovic’s shadow.

Igor – Fiorentina

Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano slammed his own central defender, Igor, after the Serie A side fell to a 2-1 loss at the hands of West Ham in the UEFA Conference League Final and according to TUTTOmercatoWeb, Fulham and Leicester City are keeping tabs on the Brazilian defender’s immediate future. The Italian outlet states that Viola are not willing to extend Igor’s contract – which runs out in June 2024 – and out of the Whites and the Foxes, the Premier League team is in the ascendency for his signature.

Igor may have been somewhat at fault as Jarrod Bowen netted the winner for the Hammers on 7 June, but the defender’s dependability’s distinct. He’s been on Fiorentina’s books since 2021 and he’s racked up 110 outings until now. Last season, Italiano got more than 3,100 minutes out of the 25-year-old and as his side reached a major European final as well as an 8th-placed finish, I’d say Igor contributions were justifiable, even if he blundered when it really mattered.

Patrick Wimmer – VfL Wolfsburg

Sourced close to Football Insider have informed the publication that there’s strong interest from Fulham for VfL Wolfsburg’s creative winger Patrick Wimmer. The Austria representative’s form was excellent for the German side last term, he provided 8 assists for his teammates alongside four goals of his own and he isn’t shy of committing his marker either.

Wimmer, 22, is fearlessly direct, he operates predominately along the right but he is capable of playing across the final third. Versatility is vital in the modern era of the game, formations and responsibilities are everchanging and Wimmer fits the bill as a possible addition to Silva’s selection. Wolfsburg lured Wimmer from Armenia Bielefeld last summer for just £5m and given his impressive development at the Volkswagen-Arena, he won’t depart as cheaply if he is to do so.