Fenerbahce will not sell reported West Bromwich Albion target Vedat Muriqi for a penny less than £18 million, president Ali Koc has told Sozcu and Skor.
It has been a frustrating summer so far for the Baggies.
While Leeds United are set to shatter their transfer record for Spain international Rodrigo Moreno, and Fulham are closing in on a deal for Mario Lemina, West Brom are running out of time if they want to add a couple of new faces to Slaven Bilic’s squad before the new season kicks off in two weeks.
Takvim claimed in July that the Premier League newcomers were hoping to reinforce a less-than-prolific forward line with Kosovo international Muriqi.
But, as Fenerbahce’s president has made clear, it will take a club-record fee to bring the rangy target man to The Hawthorns.
“We want £18 million in advance,” Koc says.
“If someone makes an offer for Muriqi, we will sit at the table. If we keep Muriqi, we will be the favourite to win the championship.
“We could sell him for a higher price next year (if we win the league).”
A late-blooming 26-year-old who has been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowski due to his fearsome physique, Muriqi has scored 17 goals in each of the last two seasons.
Meanwhile, no one in Bilic’s squad netted more than ten in 2019/20, even if West Brom did finish second behind Leeds in the Championship table.
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