Fulham are "favourites" to sign Man United midfielder Fred, coming after previous claims he's willing to join Marco Silva.
Who will Fulham sign this summer?
The Whites are yet to confirm any major signing so far this transfer window, a fact which may slightly worry some supporters given how far we are into the summer.
Fulham enjoyed an exceptional 2022/2023 campaign, their first back in the top flight after securing promotion from the Championship, but Silva will be keen to build upon it and maintain his side's strong foot hold.
Last term saw Fulham contend for European qualification but eventually settle for a solid mid-table finish, not to mention a higher league position than west London rivals Chelsea who endured a woeful season.
Star players, like midfielder Joao Palhinha, impressed over the campaign and elite English sides have taken note of his exploits – though it is believed that Fulham are set to command a hefty £90 million price tag to ward off suitors.
In terms of incomings, the Craven Cottage side have been linked with a host of players in a variety of positions, with Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, USA international Sergino Dest, Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah, Roma defender Roger Ibanez and Fred all being linked recently.
On the latter player, who is believed to be "willing to join" Fulham this summer according to a recent claim by The Telegraph, there has been another update on his possible move from Brazil.
According to South American news outlet Globo Esporte, Fulham are "favourites" to sign Fred as they remain in pole position for him.
However, Fred is now believed to have signed with a new agency to represent him, which apparently expands his options on the transfer front.
As such, there is interest from Saudi Arabia in the 30-year-old, with no "official offer" coming from Fulham just yet. Indeed, if Silva's, side are to press ahead with a move for Fred, they may have to act quickly amid competition from the Middle East.
How good is Fred?
The former Shakhtar Donetsk star actually played very regularly under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford last season, making appearances in 35 league games (WhoScored).
However, the vast majority were from the substitute's bench, so Fred will be looking for a new club who can guarantee him more starting places.
His best season at United, going by the statistics, was 2020/2021 – when he started 27 league matches and averaged more tackles per 90 than any of his teammates (WhoScored).
The season afterwards, though, former interim United boss Ralf Rangnick heaped praise on the 32-cap international – calling him a "valuable" and "technical" player.
"For me, he is an extremely valuable player, a team player in the true sense," said Rangnick (via Sky Sports).
"A player who puts in every effort that he has and would give his last drop of blood for the team.
"He's also a player who can score goals and has those surprising elements in his game, little flick-ons, and he can be a technical player too.
"That combination makes him extremely valuable, and to reduce him to only a number six, a defensive midfield player, does not rate him highly enough. He can do a lot more than just defend."
