Fulham could pay £14 million to bring Marlon to the Premier League after Sassuolo’s sporting director confirmed interest from Scott Parker’s side, according to The Sun (21 September, page 45).
Two games, zero points, seven goals conceded – this Fulham team appears to have more than a few things in common with the side that bombed out of the division in 2018/19.
The Cottagers let in 81 goals that season – six more than Norwich conceded last term.
And if those error-prone defeats against Arsenal and Leeds United are anything to go by, Swindon Town’s place in the Premier League history books may be under threat.
No wonder Fulham have made a new centre-back their top priority before the window shuts, with former Barcelona youngster Marlon emerging as a £14 million target.
“We had an offer from Fulham, an important one, so we are evaluating it and the negotiations are in progress. We’ll see over the next few days if we can conclude them,” Giovani Carnevali told Sky Italia while reiterating his desire to keep Roberto di Zerbi’s star players at the Mapei Arena.
Marlon, a 25-year-old Brazilian, stood out during a loan spell at Nice in 2017/18 before moving to Sassuolo.
The journeyman stopper would arrive in England having established himself as one of the finest defenders in French and Italian football, having honed his talents at Barca.
Strong, sturdy and technically gifted, Marlon also averages a 94 per cent pass completion rate, suggesting he’d have little trouble adapting to Parker’s possession-based approach.
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