'Almost there' - Fulham and Bournemouth double transfer on verge of confirmation
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Fulham and Bournemouth stars have been targeted in the free agent market by a proactive Newcastle United.
Wantaway Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is on the verge of completing a free transfer to Newcastle United as his deal at Craven Cottage comes to an end.
The centre-back has been a key part of Marco Silva's side this term and his performances at the heart of the Cottagers' defence have turned heads in the Premier League and abroad. Fulham were keen to keep the 26-year-old on board, making contract offers, but Adarabioyo has resisted a new deal as his current one comes to an end.
That means that the defender will be able to quit the London club as a free agent and sign for any new suitor without a transfer fee. Several Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, had been linked with the star but it is the Tyneside outfit who have long been frontrunners.
It had been reported that the Magpies had offered Adarabioyo a bumper £100,000 a-week deal to bring him to St James' Park earlier this month. It's a key position for the club to recruit in, having lost both Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles to ACL injuries this season that will keep the stars out of action for a chunk of the 2024/25 campaign.
As well as Adarabioyo, Newcastle United are close to announcing the free transfer signing of another Premier League star in Bournemouth man Lloyd Kelly. Fabrizio Romano wrote on social media platform X today: "Newcastle keep advancing to sign both Lloyd Kelly and Tosin Adarabioyo as free agents, almost there."
Fulham supporters won't be all too surprised to see Adarabioyo leave the Cottage this summer with the player having been left out of the squad for the last four league outings of the season - although Silva confirmed the player was available.
He explained: "He can play. We have three more games to play. If we need him to play and I decide to put him on the pitch, he’s going to be on the pitch. Is he going to play again for Fulham? That’s my decision. I’m looking for the present. I want to win football matches but at the same time we have to prepare for the future of the club."