Fulham have reportedly won the race to seal the transfer of Nice midfielder Jean Seri ahead of rumoured suitors Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Ivory Coast international was claimed by journalist Nabil Djellit (via the Daily Star) to have been in London this week for transfer talks, with Arsenal and Chelsea mentioned as clubs based in the capital that he’d been in touch with, while he’s previously also been linked by the Daily Mirror with a move to the Premier League for around £40million.
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Seri has been one of the top performers in Ligue 1 in the last few years and looks a player most top clubs would want to have in their ranks, but Gianluca Di Marzio now claims his move to Fulham is a done deal.
The newly-promoted side may well have pulled off something very impressive here, though official confirmation of the move is yet to emerge.
Bringing in the 26-year-old would be a real statement by Fulham as they look to establish themselves in the Premier League again after a four-year absence.
Beating off big-name competition to such a classy player would be huge for the club’s hopes of securing survival in the top flight and perhaps even give them a good chance of breaking into the top half.
It’s a big blow for Arsenal and Chelsea, however, both of whom finished outside the top four last season and both of whom have major issues in midfield, with the former just recently losing Jack Wilshere at the end of his contract, while the latter has made a string of poor signings in that area in recent times in the form of Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley.
Seri could have strengthened either of those London giants significantly, so to see reports that he’s headed for Fulham certainly come as a surprise.