Al-Hilal are closing in on a deal to sign Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham after rekindling their interest in the Serbia striker.
Fulham rejected a £25.5m bid from the Saudi Pro League side for Mitrovic last month and insisted that the 28-year-old is not for sale. But having wrapped up an £86.3m deal for Neymar earlier this week, Al-Hilal are understood to be very optimistic of completing a deal for Mitrovic, who scored 14 Premier League goals last season. Officials have reopened talks with Fulham and they hope to secure an agreement over a fee that is likely to be in excess of £40m in the coming days, with Mitrovic having already agreed personal terms with Al-Hilal.
The Riyadh-based club have already signed Rúben Neves from Wolves, the Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Lazio’s Sergei Milinkovic-Savic and Neymar’s compatriot Malcom, who scored a hat-trick in the opening 3-1 league win against Abha.
Mitrovic, who joined Fulham from Newcastle on a permanent deal in July 2018, has established himself as a key player at Craven Cottage but was named as a substitute for Fulham’s opening day win at Everton. The Serbia striker signed a lucrative five-year contract until 2026 two years ago, before breaking the Championship goalscoring record en route to promotion.
Tottenham have opened talks with Lazio over the proposed departure of former captain Hugo Lloris. Lloris made clear earlier this summer his desire for a new challenge after 11 years at Spurs and was not involved in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford. The World Cup winner is now closing in on a switch to Lazio after talks between the clubs started, but a final agreement on a fee is still to be reached.
Sheffield United have signed former Everton midfielder Tom Davies on a free transfer. The 25-year-old, who has been a free agent since opting to leave boyhood club Everton in the summer, has penned a three-year deal at Bramall Lane.
after newsletter promotion
Chuba Akpom has completed a move to Ajax from Middlesbrough. The 27-year-old forward was the Championship’s top scorer last season with 28 goals to help Michael Carrick’s side finish fourth, reaching the play-offs where they were beaten by Coventry. Former Arsenal trainee Akpom was in the final year of his contract with Boro, and his switch to the Dutch giants is reported to be a £10.2m deal.