Fulham bid £13m for 'incredible talent' in huge Leeds United blow

Fulham are preparing a second bid for VfB Stuttgart winger Silas Katompa Mvumpa having seen a first offer for the player's services rejected by the Bundesliga side.

That's according to Caught Offside, with the outlet reporting that the player has become a transfer target for Marco Silva. Cottagers stars Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid are yet to reach new agreements with the club, which could leave the side short of options on the flanks.

Both those players have been offered deals but are weighing up their options before committing their futures to Fulham. Willian has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia while Leeds United and Everton could look at signing De Cordova-Reid as a free agent.

Fulham have seen an €8 million (£6.8m) bid rejected for Silas and are now ready to almost double that with a €15 million (£12.7m) offer to beat rivals. Mvumpa bagged five goals and five assists for Stuttgart last season and is known to have other clubs interested in his services.

One of those is Championship side Leeds United. Promotion would have given the Whites a boost in their pursuit of the winger but the club now risks being outbid by a Premier League side, as well as difficulty in convincing the Congolese star to move to the second tier.

Leeds United wingers Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto are expected to be in high demand this summer after strong showings in the Championship with Daniel Farke needing a rebuild ahead of challenging for promotion back to the Premier League once again.

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Any Fulham or Leeds United bid that is accepted by Stuttgart for Silas' services won't necessarily green light a move with the winger believed not to be desperate to quit the Bundesliga. Personal talks with the player would have to convince him to relinquish the chance to play in the Champions League next season after Stuttgart placed an impressive second in the Bundesliga.

The forward has been impressing in Germany for a number of years, having joined Stuttgart from Paris Football Club in 2019. After the 2020/21 season, the winger was named as the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season and former Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo labelled him an ‘incredible talent’ during that campaign.