Fulham: Cottagers preparing second Pedro bid
A £21m offer for the striker has already been knocked back.
Fulham are seeking a replacement for Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has joined Al-Hilal, with Flamengo striker Pedro a target.
The Cottagers have also made contact with Atalanta striker Duvon Zapata, whose proposed loan move to AS Roma fell through.
Fulham have also held talks with Arsenal over Folarin Balogun, but it looks as if he is heading elsewhere.
Fulham are now preparing a second bid for Flamengo striker Pedro, with a new report revealing they have a number of striker targets in mind…
What’s the latest Fulham transfer news?
With Aleksandar Mitrovic joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal for a club-record fee of £46m, Fulham seemingly have a lot of money to splash out on a replacement, and they have already made contact with Atalanta’s Duvon Zapata.
Zapata’s proposed loan move to AS Roma has now fallen through, which could open the door for a move to Craven Cottage, with Marco Silva’s side making their first move, however, he is currently leaning towards staying with his current club.
The Cottagers have also held talks with Arsenal over a move for Folarin Balogun, although the USMNT international will not come cheap, with the Gunners set to demand around £50m, although Silva is personally hopeful that a compromise can be reached.
In a new report from The Evening Standard, it is detailed that Zapata remains of interest to Fulham, but Atalanta now want to keep him, despite recently signing Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham United.
Balogun has also been sounded out, but the 22-year-old is now expected to sign for AS Monaco, while Silva has denied interest in Juventus striker Moise Kean.
Silva is keen to have three strikers in his squad and the Cottagers have now made an approach for Flamengo striker Pedro, in their bid to replace Mitrovic.
In fact, a £21m offer has already been knocked back by the Brazilian club, but they are braced for a further bid, with Fulham currently in the process of preparing a new proposal, which they hope will be deemed acceptable.
The 26-year-old is keen on a move to the Premier League, which could give the Londoners an advantage over the likes of Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg, who are also credited with an interest.
How good is Pedro?
Mitrovic scored 14 goals in 24 Premier League games for the Cottagers last season, so it is important the Serbian’s replacement is just as clinical in front of goal, and Pedro has been lauded by members of the media.
South American football expert Tim Vickery has described the Brazilian as an “excellent finisher”, which is exemplified by the fact he has outperformed his non-penalty XG significantly over the past year, averaging 0.68 goals per 90, having been expected to average 0.51.
The Rio de Janeiro-born marksman has been clinical in front of goal in the Brazilian Serie A, however, there may be some concern over the fact his last move to Europe did not go to plan, failing to score in four games for Fiorentina before heading back to his home country.
That said, the former Fiorentina man has made improvements to his game since then, with Brazil legend Ronaldo lauding him as a “quality striker” with a “huge future ahead of him”, and so it is exciting news that Fulham are about to make another bid.
With Zapata set to stay at Atalanta and Balogun poised to move to Monaco, the Cottagers are running out of options to replace Mitrovic, so they could try to get a deal for Pedro over the line as quickly as possible.
