Premier League newcomers Fulham could bid farewell to their £8 million centre-forward with a return to the Primeira Liga beckoning.
Rui Fonte is still a Fulham player but don’t expect that to be the case when the transfer window shuts on September 1st.
The Cottagers paid Portuguese outfit Braga around £8 million to sign the striker in the summer of 2016 and reports on the continent are suggesting that a return to the Primeira Liga is on the cards.
According to Record, Sporting Lisbon are hoping to bring a new striker to the Estadio Jose Alvalade before Friday’s transfer deadline and Fonte is one of the names on their wishlist, alongside Genoa’s Gianluca Lapadula and Sevilla’s Luis Muriel, who is understood to be the number one target.
Record add that Fonte is open to a return to Sporting, who he joined from Arsenal in 2009 but failed to make an appearance for. The 28-year-old’s last spell in the Portuguese top flight was impressive, netting 10 times in 22 games for Braga in 2015/16.
And it is understood that Sporting are in talks over signing the forward, though these negotiations are at an early stage as things stand.
Fonte scored just three times in all competitions in his debut season at Craven Cottage. And with Aleksander Mitrovic starting the current campaign in fine style, netting three times in his last two matches, it is unlikely that Fonte will get much of a look in.
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