Fulham have apparently stepped up their interest in Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun following Aleksandar Mitrovic's move to Saudi Arabia.
Following weeks of speculation, Mitrovic finally completed a big-money move to Al-Hilal last week, leaving Raul Jimenez and Carlos Vinicius to battle for starts at the tip of the Cottagers attack.
However, Marco Silva's side have flattered to deceive in the opening two gameweeks of the 2023-24 season, securing a fortunate win over Everton before a 3-0 humbling at the hands of Brentford.
Arsenal's Balogun has supposedly emerged as an attacking target for the Cottagers, and according to the Daily Mail, Fulham are now intensifying their pursuit of the USA international.
Balogun is valued at £50m by Arsenal, who have already rejected a bid from Monaco, but Fulham are supposedly hopeful of negotiating a £35m deal with performance-related add-ons.
Balogun - who is also on Chelsea's radar - netted 22 goals in all tournaments during an exceptional loan spell with Reims last season, but he is yet to make an Arsenal matchday squad in the 2023-24 campaign.
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In addition to Balogun, Fulham are said to be working on a deal to bring Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi to Craven Cottage, but Silva's side are now facing increased competition for his signature.
The 22-year-old's Chelsea career appears to be dead in the water, and Mauricio Pochettino is not considering him for selection while his representatives try to engineer a move away.
Nottingham Forest are supposedly keen on a deal, but Hudson-Odoi is rumoured to have agreed personal terms with Fulham, who could offer him the chance to remain in London.
However, the Evening Standard reports that Everton have also entered the race to sign the English attacker, as the Toffees aim to take advantage of financial disagreements between Chelsea and Fulham.
While Hudson-Odoi will accept a salary decrease to join Silva's side, the Cottagers are refusing to cough up Chelsea's £8m asking price for a player who is in the final year of his contract.
Hudson-Odoi has 16 goals and 22 assists to show from 126 games in a Chelsea shirt, but a disappointing loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen last term saw him register just one goal and one assist in 21 outings.
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Staying in the English capital, Brentford have allegedly made contact over a move for Leeds United winger Luis Sinisterra.
The Colombia international could very well be the next player to join the Elland Road exodus following the Whites' relegation to the Championship for the 2023-24 campaign.
Nevertheless, Sinisterra has already turned out for Leeds on two occasions this season, although the 24-year-old has recently been sidelined with an ankle injury.
Despite his affliction, Football Insider claims that Brentford have now enquired about a possible swoop for Sinisterra, whose Leeds contract does not expire for another four years.
The Bees supposedly feel that a cut-price deal could be struck, but they will have to fend off competition from Ligue 1 outfit Nice and Sinisterra's former club Feyenoord for his signature.
Sinisterra managed seven goals and one assist from 22 games during his debut campaign with Leeds last term, but he could not prevent their slide down to the second tier of English football.
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Speaking of players who could still depart Leeds before September's transfer deadline, Bayern Munich are supposedly keen on Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The 23-year-old was hot property during the 2023-24 campaign and was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but the Blues' interest cooled as his form took a nosedive.
Meslier conceded 67 goals as the Whites finished in the bottom three of the Premier League table, and he was dropped by Sam Allardyce for their final four games of the season.
The France Under-21 international has been reinstated as Leeds' number one under Daniel Farke, but a summer exit is still a possibility, and a separate report from Football Insider claims that Bayern have emerged as serious contenders.
The Bundesliga champions are still without long-serving number one Manuel Neuer due to a broken leg, while Yann Sommer has left for Inter Milan, leaving Sven Ulreich to man the posts.
While Chelsea are on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to replace Real Madrid loanee Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Blues are on the verge of signing New England Revolution shot-stopper Djordje Petrovic.
Ben Knapton
