Fulham £18m free agent target rejects Championship club as Wolves and Ipswich Town race nears end
Fulham free agent target Dennis Praet has reportedly turned down a move to Championship outfit Burnley as the race for the midfielder’s signature hots up following the close of the summer window.
Deadline Day may have passed but Premier League clubs can still bolster their squads by signing players currently not contracted at another club. One of those is Praet with the 30-year-old released by Leicester City at the end of the last campaign.
HITC now reports that the player had been offered a contract by the Clarets but he has rejected the move to the second tier outfit amid Premier League interest. The outlet adds that the Cottagers are one of the sides considering a deal with competition from Wolves and Ipswich Town.
Leicester City paid £18 million to sign Praet in 2019 and the midfielder went on to make 107 appearances for the club. He made 17 Championship appearances last term as the side returned to the top flight.
Praet also has suitors in his home country of Belgium, which could be a tempting option for the star, who began his career with Anderlecht. Anderlecht recently gave up on a move for Manchester United man Christian Eriksen but are still in the market for a midfield acquisition – one Belgian outlet has even suggested that Praet has undergone a medical ahead of a potential move, which could be a fatal blow to any late Premier League interest.
Opening up about his future to Het Nieuwsblad at the start of the summer, Praet said: “I’m at the end of my contract and ready for something new. I am now 29 and physically at the peak of my career.
“I definitely want to become important somewhere again, so that I can find the fun in the game again. The focus now is on finding the right club.
“I am realistic enough to realise that a top-four team from a top league will not suddenly come and get me. But if I end up at a nice mid-range club where I can become a key player, that’s also good. And if it is in a location where it is fun for my family to stay, then that is a bonus.”
