Fulham may lose Ryan Sessegnon this summer.
Fulham wonder-kid Ryan Sessegnon has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this summer and the club’s reported £50 million price tag is not likely to fend off his suitors.
According to a report in the Telegraph earlier this week, Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a £35 million bid for the 17-year-old while the Cottagers value him at £15 million higher.
While we are talking mega money, the Premier League’s riches via substantial TV deals makes such deals possible and as a result it is doubtful Spurs will be put off by his whopping price tag.
Fulham will be reluctant to lose their outstanding talent, yet such a figure could help the team strengthen considerably should the money be reinvested in to the first-team squad.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side are currently in the playoff positions and are in with a decent shout of promotion this term, but regardless of which division they find themselves in next term, former favourite Patrick Roberts would be an ideal replacement for Sessegnon.
Roberts came through the Fulham academy and made his debut in the Premier League shortly after his 17th birthday, making him one of the youngest players to play for the club in the top-flight.
The 21-year-old then became a regular during the Cottagers’ Championship campaign, before he left the club the following summer to join Manchester City in a deal worth around £11 million.
The talented winger has since joined Scottish champions Celtic on loan, scoring 15 league goals over the past two-and-a-half seasons, but recently he has featured sparingly for the Hoops.
City may feel his progress is being stunted somewhat, and reports in January suggest he was linked with a move to Leicester City (The Sun) as part of a deal which would see Riyad Mahrez move in the opposite direction.
Competition for places is high at the Etihad Stadium, therefore Roberts may have to seek a permanent switch away from the club and where better than a return to former club Fulham – especially if they win promotion.
Jokanovic’s side like to utilise the full width of the pitch with their possession-based football, and Roberts is a player who thrives with the ball at his feet and facing the fullback one vs one.
If it worked for Wilfried Zaha in his return to Crystal Palace, the same can be said of Roberts at Fulham and a move back to West London could certainly soften the blow of losing the highly-rated Sessegnon this summer.
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