Fulham have been linked with Espanyol’s David Lopez.
Espanyol boss Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia, commonly known as Rubi, says defender David Lopez wants to remain at the club amid a reported bid from Premier League side Fulham, Diario Sport report.
The Cottagers have reportedly made a sizeable bid for the defender, according to Spanish editorial AS, but the player has a whopping £35 million release clause which Espanyol aren’t willing to budge on.
Aside from the economic difficulty of spending such a heavy figure on a 28-year-old, Fulham’s chance of signing Lopez appears very bleak with the player seemingly intent on staying at the Catalan club.
Espanyol boss Rubi, speaking to Diario Sport, admitted that the situation has affected the player though he remains adamant that the leading central defender wants to stay put and reject any advances.
“David isn’t sad, but logically he wants to get everything sorted as quickly as possible. I’m convinced we will resolve the situation in our favour and David will stay with Espanyol,” he told Diario Sport.
“He wants to stay and we want him to remain with us. He is a vital player, I hope it’s resolved soon.”
Fulham have bolstered their midfield with the arrival of Jean Seri while Newcastle United’s Aleksandar Mitrovic remains a key striker target. Now, it appears Slavisa Jokanovic has turned to the defence.
Lopez would be an excellent addition for the west London side as he is comfortable at bringing the ball out of defence but paying anywhere near his current release clause would be way too excessive.
Jokanovic will be keen to make more signings before the start of the season as he seeks Premier League survival, but Fulham must be careful not to overspend leaving them with a potential problem in 12 months’ time.
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