Armando Broja's absence from the Fulham squad against Tottenham Hotspur has reportedly triggered a clause in his loan deal that will see the Cottagers pay his parent club Chelsea £4m.
The Albania international has not been able to break into the Fulham team since his arrival on loan at the end of the winter transfer window, with the form of Rodrigo Muniz keeping him out of the side.
In the seven matches since Broja's loan move, he has not started any of them, playing just 51 minutes across four substitute appearances.
Broja was not in the Fulham squad at all which beat Spurs 3-0 on Saturday evening, with the form of Muniz making him undroppable at present.
The Brazilian striker netted a brace against Spurs, meaning that he has scored seven goals in seven games since Broja joined the club, stepping up to the plate in the absence of Raul Jimenez.
Muniz's form has come at a minor cost to Fulham though, as The Mirror claim they are now due to pay Chelsea £4m as there is no possibility of Broja being able to start at least 60% of their games across his loan spell, one of the clauses included in the deal.
Fulham boss Marco Silva said pre-match that the potential payment would have no impact on his team selections, playing down any importance of it to him.
"I am not going to talk about something that is confidential between the clubs, I don't lose half a second thinking about it. I am here to take the decision about what is best for each game." Silva claimed.
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"If a player is in good shape and can help us win a match, that is the player that is going to be on the pitch. All the other things are not for me to think about.
"If Armando is not scoring goals or not playing right now it is because Rodrigo is playing better than him and being more decisive in matches. If Armando is a loan player, it makes no difference, if they show that they are better, they are going to play. What I want always is to put the best team on the pitch that gives me more chance to win the match."
Broja started in Chelsea's win over Fulham in mid-January but that remains his last Premier League start.
The 22-year-old was also in the starting XI for the Blues 6-1 EFL Cup semi-final second leg win over Middlesbrough, before departing Stamford Bridge just a week later.
Broja would have been looking for similar success that he enjoyed in a loan spell at Southampton in 2021-22, with his place in the Albania side for Euro 2024 not guaranteed.
National team manager Sylvinho did not call Broja up for the Albania side on his return from injury last year, and looks likely to stick with the players who helped to seal their qualification for the finals this summer.
Sylvinho has called Broja up for Albania's friendlies against Chile and Sweden this month, but Myrto Uzuni and Sokol Cikalleshi are likely to start ahead of the Fulham loanee.
Andrew Delaney
