Fulham line up £34m-rated PSG star as they look to quickly secure Aleksandar Mitrovic replacement transfer
Fulham are ready to join the battle to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Hugo Ekitike while Aleksandar Mitrovic is on the verge of departure.
The Cottagers are close to completing Mitrovic’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal for around £43million.
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And Ekitike, who has also attracted interest from Everton, West Ham and a number of European clubs, is on the list of stars who could replace the Serb.
Ekitike, 21, was loaned to PSG from Stade Reims last season and the deal was made permanent for £24million earlier this summer.
Nonetheless, the Ligue 1 champions are already looking to monetize the U20 international and want between £30m and £34m.
Meanwhile, Craven Cottage boss Marco Silva has barely hidden his displeasure at the nature of Mitrovic’s imminent departure.
Replacing the 81-cap poacher for most Prem clubs would be a problem.
And the 28-year-old ex-Newcastle star has scored 111 goals in 205 games for Fulham, including 14 in the Premier League last season.
However, his glittering status with fans was marred by claims last month that he had refused to play for the Cottagers again after an initial offer from Al-Hilal was turned down.
Mitrovic came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win at Everton last week.
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But he missed the Cottagers’ second Prem game – the 3-0 home loss to Brentford on Saturday – as he left to complete his lucrative deal.
Silva said: “He forced everything to leave the club, he wanted to leave the club.”
“If you ask me, is that normal? No. If you ask me if football players should behave like this? No. That’s the simple answer.”
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