Fulham now make approach to sign “fantastic” £22m Europa League midfielder
Fulham have now made an approach to sign a “fantastic” midfielder, who has been impressing in the Europa League this season.
Cottagers keen to strengthen in the engine room
The Cottagers are looking to bring in a striker, central midfielder and right-winger this month, with Marco Silva recently insisting the uptick in form hasn’t changed his plans, saying: “It’s not because we won games and we are looking for a different position right now that we are changing ourselves,
“We look with full ambition for the season like we did before, and even if the results were not so good, we will not change completely the scenario because it’s clear what we need.”
Silva’s side have been on a strong run in the Premier League, collecting 11 points from their last five matches, recently extending the unbeaten run to five games courtesy of Harrison Reed’s last gasp equaliser against Liverpool.
Despite Reed’s heroics, Fulham remain keen on signing a new central midfielder, and they have now made preliminary contact over a deal for Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimara, with it being revealed the Spanish club could be willing to sanction a departure for the right price.
Indeed, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Betis have set an asking price of around £22m for Altimira, but the Cottagers are not alone in their pursuit, with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt also very keen on securing his signature.
Betis are in a strong negotiating position, with the midfielder tied down on a contract until 2029, which suggests the west Londoners may need to fork out the full asking price to tempt his current employers into a sale.
Fulham leading the charge to sign "skilful" forward, willing to make £35m bid
The Cottagers are prepared to make a big bid for an attacker.
ByDominic Lund "Fantastic" Altimira impressing in Europa League
The 24-year-old has been an important player for Betis in the Europa League this season, featuring in all six games, and he was particularly impressive in the 3-1 win against Dinamo Zagreb last month, making three tackles and winning four duels to help keep the Croatian side at bay.
Lauded as “fantastic” by Spanish reporter Mateo Gonzalez last season, the Betis ace has strong defensive attributes, while he is also comfortable in possession of the ball, as showcased by his performance across some key statistics over the past year.
Sergio Altimira’s key statistics
Average per 90 (past year)
Tackles
3.02 (94th percentile)
Interceptions
1.56 (91st percentile)
Clearances
2.17 (80th percentile)
Pass completion %
91.5% (96th percentile)
Perhaps the Spaniard’s best moment this season came in La Liga at the end of November, however, scoring in Betis’ 2-0 derby victory away at Sevilla.
Having put in some promising displays in both La Liga and the Europa League, Altimira could be an exciting signing for Fulham, and £21m feels like a reasonable fee to shell out.