Fulham lead race to sign £10m man Jose Mourinho called ‘incredible’

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Premier League outfit Fulham are the ‘most interested’ suitor in Roma’s Serie A misfit Rick Karsdorp, Gianluca di Marzio reports. 

A couple of weeks ago, Karsdorp joined the likes of Paul Pogba and Iker Casillas in a rather exclusive club. He became the latest player to find himself at the centre of a very public dispute with Jose Mourinho; the Dutch right-back frozen out of the first-team picture at Roma after the Giallorossi boss claimed to have been left feeling ‘betrayed’ by the former Feyenoord man. 

“I’m surprised by Mourinho’s words. I want an explanation,” Karsdorp’s agent furiously told Gazzetta dello Sport. “We want an explanation from the club about the coach’s words.” 

Fulham could sign Rick Karsdorp from Jose Mourinho’s Serie A giants AS Roma

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Karsdorp could now be left out of Roma’s pre-season training camp in Portugal. A January departure feels like a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, even if the Italian giants are unwilling to let Karsdorp leave on the cheap. 

Per Sky Italia, it would take around £10 million to free the 27-year-old from his Stadio Olimpico limbo. 

2021 Ligue 1 champions Lille and Roma’s Serie A rivals Torino have already enquired about Karsdorp’s availability. Fulham appear to be at the front of the queue as things stand, however; Di Marzio claiming that the Cottagers are the ‘most interested’ club. They could make a ‘concrete offer’ following the Qatar World Cup. 

Capped three times by the Netherlands, Karsdorp was initially a favourite of Mourinho’s at Roma. A poor performance off the bench against Sassuolo a couple of weeks ago is supposedly the reason behind the sudden breakdown of their relationship.

“Rick today gave us yet another incredible performance,” the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United boss said after Karsdorp shone in a victory over Zorya Luhansk a year ago. 

“I want to see his stats, the number of kilometers he covered today and his intensity. I am always amazed when I read his statistics. Soon we’ll have to find a way to rest him a bit!”

Fulham’s interest, meanwhile, could already raise questions about the future of Kevin Mbabu at Craven Cottage. The former Wolfsburg man has started just one Premier League game since joining Fulham. Mbabu was left out of the Swiss squad for the 2022 World Cup.