Fulham have beaten Ligue 1 giants Lyon to the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Manor Solomon with Ynet claiming that a £7 million, £25,000-a-week deal has been agreed with the Championship leaders.
Replacing Fabio Carvalho is no easy task.
The Portuguese whizzkid is the Robin to Aleksandr Mitrovic’s barnstorming Batman at Craven Cottage, producing eight goals and seven assists en route to Liverpool.
It goes without saying, then, that Solomon has big shoes to fill in West London.
But, when you consider that the Israel international has admirers at Lyon, Real Betis and Napoli, it’s difficult to escape the feeling that this is a real coup for a club with one foot and four toes in the Premier League, despite Sunday’s thumping 3-1 home defeat to bogey team Coventry City.
Solomon has also been linked with Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The player himself admitted to The Guardian that Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City ‘really wanted’ to sign him a couple of years ago too.
Can Manor Solomon replace Fabio Carvalho at Fulham?
Israeli publication Ynet claim that Solomon will set Fulham back £7 million. The fleet-footed Shakhtar Donetsk forward will sign a four or five-year deal, worth around £25,000-a-week.
And Marco Silva, who played a major role in the signing of Rodrigo Muniz last year, is once again front and centre of negotiations. Ynet add that Silva is a long-time admirer of Solomon. The former Everton boss also consulted a number of Portuguese coaches who know the 22-year-old from their time in Ukrainian football.
“The fact that Manor has not signed a new contract at Shakhtar says everything about his future,” Solomon’s agent said recently. “The priority is the English or Spanish league.”
The snake-hipped Solomon holds a Portuguese passport and should obtain a work permit with relative ease.
He’s been compared to Eden Hazard and once described as a ‘wonderful’ talent by former Shakhtar coach Paulo Fonseca.
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