Premier League newcomers Fulham are in talks with Al-Musrati and the £13 million Braga ace has been left out of the Libya squad as he negotiates a move away from the Portuguese outfit, as reported by the BBC.
It’s still early days, of course, but you can understand why there’s a hint of frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
Fulham, after all, were supposed to have a couple of new deals done and dusted by now. But, despite holding talks with the likes of Thomas Strakosha and Manor Solomon, the Championship champions are still awaiting their first signing of the summer.
There may be light at the end of the tunnel, however, with talks underway regarding 6ft 4ins midfield mountain Al-Musrati.
Fulham kick-started negotiations a couple of weeks ago (O Jogo). Marco Silva is a big fan of the deep-lying colossus and, what’s more, Al-Musrati is aware of Fulham’s interest.
“I saw many of his games in the Portuguese league and many others in the Europa League. You could see his importance to the team. He had a great season,” Libya coach Corentin Martins tells A Bola.
“He has quality, gives rhythm to the game, calms the play or provides fast passes forward. We also see his tremendous ability for covering the ground. He recovers a lot of balls. He makes me think a little about Danilo, from PSG.”
Fulham in talks to sign Braga’s Al-Musrati
Al-Musrati reportedly asked to be left out of Libya’s squad ahead of June’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers as he negotiates a move away from Braga.
And Martins, rather than express his disappointment at losing one of his key players, is backing the 26-year-old’s pursuit of a fresh start in a more competitive, high-profile division.
“The great season (he had) can take him to a bigger club,” Martins adds. “I think it deserves a better club than SC Braga. For Libya, it would be great to see him increase in size and value.”
If a lack of defensive security was the main reason why Fulham flopped during their last couple of seasons in the big-time, then a colossal defensive midfielder who averages an impressive 2.1 tackles per game would be a very welcome addition (WhoScored).
Al-Musrati reportedly has admirers in France’s Ligue 1 too.
“I only hope that he leaves (for a club) abroad, preferably for a great team,” Braga reporter Antonio Costa writes in his ZeroZero column.
“This Libyan monster deserves (a big move), due to his immense quality.”
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