Fulham have opened formal talks with Chelsea over a deal for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, according to a report.
The Cottagers have decided to act on their interest in the 26-year-old midfielder. Earlier this week, it emerged that Fulham were keen on Dewsbury-Hall and had begun exploring a move.
Before starting negotiations with Chelsea, Marco Silva’s club wanted to know if a deal was even feasible, with the Blues’ local rivals open to taking Dewsbury-Hall either on loan or permanently.
Now, it seems that Fulham have received an encouraging response. According to Ben Jacobs, a formal approach for the former Leicester man has now been made, although it remains to be seen if a deal can be struck.
That is because Chelsea are not actively looking to sell Dewsbury-Hall despite the fact that he struggled for regular minutes in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea set Dewsbury-Hall price
Jacobs reports that Dewsbury-Hall is a valued squad player at Chelsea, although it is doubtful that the player shares such a positive view of his peripheral role under Enzo Maresca.
What is clear is that in order to get Chelsea to sell, Fulham will have to dig deep into their pockets. The Blues are said to have made it clear that they want more than the €35.4 million they paid for Dewsbury-Hall last summer.
This would make the 26-year-old Fulham’s record signing, and it would also represent a significant overspend. His Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently stands at just €24.6m.
Jacobs adds that West Ham also made an enquiry for Dewsbury-Hall earlier this summer. Meanwhile, Fulham are also exploring a move for Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling, but this potential deal is not expected to progress until later in the summer.
It has been a very quiet window for the Cottagers so far, but Silva has vowed to make signings. “We are working hard,” he said earlier this week. “We haven’t started in terms of signings, but we have a lot of business to do in this market.”
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