Fulham agree £5.5million deal to sign Wolves striker Raul Jimenez
Fulham have agreed a £5.5million deal to sign Wolves striker Raul Jimenez.
The Mexican only has one year left on his contract and is understood to be surplus to requirements, and fellow Premier League side Fulham have now agreed a fee after opening talks to sign him.
The London club are targeting Jimenez as a replacement for Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is eager to move to Al Hilal, despite Fulham turning down two offers from the Saudi Arabian club.
Jimenez fell out of favour with Julen Lopetegui last season and was always likely to depart this summer, despite returning to pre-season training in the last few weeks.
The deal will also include add-ons for Wolves to potentially secure additional funds.
Jimenez will now leave Wolves’ training camp in Portugal and will have his Fulham medical on Monday.
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Fulham: Graham Potter could replace Marco Silva
The former Chelsea boss is emerging as a strong contender for the manager’s job.
Fulham could look to appoint Graham Potter as a replacement for Marco Silva, with the former Chelsea boss now emerging as a strong contender for the job, according to a recent report from 90min.
Is Marco Silva leaving Fulham?
Silva rejected an initial approach to manage Al-Ahli, but he is now weighing up a new and improved €40m (£34.7m) offer to join the Saudi Arabian club on a two-year deal.
The Portuguese manager is set to speak to owner Shahid Khan before he makes any decision, but his future remains very much up in the air, given that his release clause is just £6m – an amount that Al-Ahli are willing to pay.
Talks have been held between Saudi officials and the Fulham manager’s agents, so it is clear that he is considering the move, and the Cottagers may now have to start considering potential replacements.
According to a report from 90min, one of the managers being considered is Potter, with the former Chelsea boss now emerging as a strong contender for the job, as he is keen to manage again in the Premier League, having rejected an offer from Leicester City in the summer.
Fulham have recently flown to the USA to begin their pre-season tour, and it is a big concern that their manager may not be in charge for any of the upcoming games, with the Premier League season now just three weeks away.
The hierarchy would like Silva to sign a new contract as his current deal has just 12 months left to run, but they are waiting to see the outcome of the latest round of talks with Al-Ahli.
Has Graham Potter won any trophies?
The Solihull-born manager has won just one trophy in his managerial career thus far, winning the 2016-17 Swedish Cup during his time with Ostersunds. However, he still has a very impressive track record.
After choosing to leave Brighton & Hove Albion to join Chelsea, Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom expressed his gratitude for the foundations the 48-year-old laid down at the club, saying: “He has done exceptionally well over the past three-and-a-bit seasons, he is an exceptional head coach and an exceptional person. He will be hugely missed at our football club.
“He leaves an excellent legacy for his successor with the club in its highest ever position, and on the back of leading us to our highest finish in the club’s history last season.
David Moyes also described the Englishman as “exceptional”, but he did not manage to hit the heights expected of him at Chelsea, being sacked after just seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.
A move to a club in the Champions League may have come a little too soon for Potter, but he could still be a fantastic appointment for the Cottagers considering the work he did at Brighton.
That said, Fulham will be hoping there is no need to appoint a new manager, which will be the case if Silva rejects the offer from Al-Ahli and signs a new deal at Craven Cottage.
