Exclusive: Spanish powerhouses join race; Fulham must shatter transfer record to defeat Tottenham to 13-goal striker

Exclusive: Fulham must destroy transfer record to beat Tottenham to 13-goal striker, as Spanish giants join race

Feyenoord are ready to play hardball, with Fulham the latest team to join the race to sign Santiago Gimenez, who is also a target for Tottenham and West Ham.

He’s one of the hottest properties in Europe after scoring 13 goals in 10 Eredivisie outings this season, which has sparked the interest of several top European clubs.

Fulham are on the hunt for a new striker in January and are being tipped to sign Gimenez as they seek to finally replace Aleksandar Mitrovic

The West London club have an interest in players such as Gent’s Gift Orban and Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, but reports from Spain claim Fulham have touched base over a transfer worth £43.5m for Gimenez.

As mentioned, this comes after Tottenham and West Ham have both been linked with the Mexico international.

On top of firepower, Gimenez displays great movement in the front line as well as good hold-up play. Therefore, he would offer Fulham an outlet they have been seriously lacking since Mitrovic departed for Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.

READ MORE: Tottenham sent warning over sensational deal for veteran Real Madrid star being touted for Premier League

Fulham must pay club-record fee for Gimenez

However, sources are sceptical about Fulham’s chances of concluding a deal for Gimenez with two major factors set to stand in their way.

Firstly, there is a belief that £43.5m would not be enough to sign Gimenez. Secondly, the player would be expected to hold out for a move to a bigger club.

His performances have helped Feyenoord keep pace at the top of the division, currently fourth in the table and seven points adrift of PSV, and he also scored twice in their 3-1 win over Lazio in the Champions League to put his side top of Group E.

The rise in status has convinced Feyenoord to believe his value in the transfer market is actually well beyond £50m.

Fulham’s current transfer record stands at £25m for Jean Michael Seri in 2018, so they would need to at least double that to have any chance of landing Gimenez.

Feyenoord’s stance is understood to be pretty firm right now: they do not have any intention to lose him in January.

That could obviously change if a mega-offer lands on the table, but in line with keeping this side together for a big push this season it would be more likely they cash in at the end of the season if that is going to happen.