Fulham under pressure as they head to the USA for pre-season with an offer from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal turning the head of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and their head coach Marco Silva now receiving big-money proposals from another club in the Gulf state
Sunday 23 July 2023 08:32, UK
Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli are offering Marco Silva £40m for a two-year deal to become their manager.
Interest from another Saudi club, Al Hilal, in Aleksandr Mitrovic has sparked a fall-out between Fulham and their top scorer from last season, who reluctantly boarded their flight to the USA for pre-season.
Al-Ahli, who are working to sign Riyad Mahrez and Allan Saint-Maximin to join Roberto Firmino, want a quick answer as they are in a training camp in Austria.
Silva's agents are in London for talks with Saudi officials and the offer is being presented through the sovereign wealth fund. The Portuguese has a £6m release clause which Al-Ahli are ready to pay.
Fulham presented Silva with a new contract earlier this summer but as things stand he would find it difficult to agree to the offer with one year remaining on his current deal.
Silva has already turned down a £35m offer from Al Hilal earlier this summer.
The Premier League club's problems do not stop there though with Mitrovic telling relatives he will not play for Fulham again after the decision-makers slapped a £52m price tag on the striker.
Mitrovic, who was considering staying away from the club tour of America, was convinced by agent Pini Zahavi and PFA representatives to join the squad as they depart for the United States on Thursday.
However, it is understood Mitrovic is angry at being priced out of a move having been the subject of two failed bids from Al Hilal.
Mitrovic's agent has urged Tony Khan to lower his value to somewhere between £35m and £45m.
It gives Silva an issue on tour with an unhappy striker in his squad, as doubts now emerge over Mitrovic's willingness to play in the opening game of the Premier League season at Everton on August 12.
Fulham did not comment when contacted by Sky Sports News.
Serbia international Mitrovic scored 14 league goals last season to help Fulham finish in the top half of the Premier League.
Mitrovic's goals also played a key role in helping the west London club to return to the top flight from the Championship on two occasions.
The forward joined Fulham, initially on loan in February 2018, before signing permanently for around £25m later that year.
Al Hilal have been one of the busiest Saudi Arabian clubs in this transfer window - and have already claimed one major Premier League coup in Ruben Neves.
The Portugal international, who was captain at Wolves, completed a £47m move to the Pro League club earlier this summer.
Al Hilal have also signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Milikovic-Savic, who is Mitrovic's international team-mate with Serbia, is reportedly set to sign a contract worth over £17m per year.
The other high-profile player Al Hilal have is former Sporting Lisbon and Benfica forward Andre Carillo, who has 92 caps for Peru and spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Watford.
Saudi Arabia are signing some of world football's most high-profile players this summer - but why is this happening and does this spending power pose a threat to big European clubs?
In 2023 alone, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the Middle Eastern nation on a free transfer, with Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema turning down another season at Real Madrid to join him in the country.
Meanwhile, a host of Chelsea players - including N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy - have swapped Stamford Bridge for Saudi Arabia, while Heung-Min Son, Bernardo Silva and Mitrovic have been targeted.
Back in June, Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol analysed this transfer market trend...
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
