Fulham appear to have ruled themselves out of the race to sign Jhon Cordoba amid reports linking the £7 million Krasondar striker with Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest Crystal Palace.
A decade after The Cottagers missed out on a then-20-year-old striker – Jhon Cordoba denied a move to West London due to problems with his work permit – those long-serving rumours have returned again this week.
Fulham, it has been claimed, are hoping to bring in a now-30-year-old Cordoba on loan, potentially with an option to sign him permanently for £7 million in the summer. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are also reportedly in the race for the well-travelled centre-forward.
But, after Russian publication Match TV reached out to Fulham’s chief scout, it seems we can remove one name from the frame with only a week left before the window closes.
Fulham deny Jhon Cordoba rumours
“The information that we want to loan Cordoba with an option-to-buy in the winter transfer window is not correct,” explains Brian Talbot, a former England international who first joined Fulham as a scout back in 2011.
A powerful, aggressive, 6ft 2ins centre-forward, Cordoba has often been likened to Didier Drogba. The Colombia international has represented the likes of Malaga, Mainz and Hertha Berlin, but has produced the best football of his career since moving to Russia.
Cordoba scored 21 goals for Krasnodar last season and has 11 in 20 games this.
With Fulham seemingly out of contention, this could see the door swing open for the relegation-threatened duo Palace and Forest (The Standard).
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest linked
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest side lost Taiwo Awoniyi to a long-term injury recently but have been boosted by a sudden flurry of goals from Chris Wood. Palace, meanwhile, are in danger of squandering the creative potential of Michael Olise and Ebere Eze with Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta inconsistent and often underwhelming.
But while Cordoba might not be a Fulham target, HITC Football understands that Vangelis Pavlidis is. One of the most in-form strikers in Europe at present, Pavlidis 23 goals this season for Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar.
HITC has also been informed that Fulham may look to bring Matt O’Riley back to Craven Cottage from Celtic.
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