Fulham interested in £30m player Enzo Maresca says is 'top level' - and it's not Raheem Sterling

Fulham are said to be interested in a move for a Chelsea star who could be on the move this summer. The Cottagers have been slow in the summer transfer window, with Marco Silva already expressing his concern.

He admitted recently: “Myself as a manager, and all the managers, they would prefer to have the squad almost complete in this stage of the pre-season. Until now, it's not been possible. And I understand the fans. But what I can tell them is we are working hard, we haven't started in terms of signings. But we have a lot of business to do in this market."

Fulham enjoyed a very good campaign of last, but with the rest of the Premier League spending big, as has become the norm, the Cottagers will likely need to continue to strengthen if they want to remain in contention European places. The Cottagers are said to be in the market for creative and attacking players, and according to Give Me Sport, Chelsea star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is of interest.

Raheem Sterling has also been linked, but Dewsbury-Hall is said to be a player who is being considered, with a loan deal most likely. Chelsea would almost certainly demand their £30million investment back just one year into their relationship with Dewsbury-Hall, and that makes a loan deal more likely.

Dewsbury-Hall made 36 appearances for Chelsea last season, and he played some of his best football in the Conference League, making 13 appearances and helping the Blues win the competition. He scored five and assisted four across all competitions.

After a particularly impressive appearance in March, Maresca said of the midfielder: “I am very happy for Kiernan. He is now much better compared to the start of the season, probably because he is understanding his role. He is working very well every day in training, even if he doesn’t get many minutes in the Premier League.

“It’s not easy to work every day with the same intention, but he is working fantastic. He showed how important he can be for us, and hopefully he can be even more important from now on.”

Speaking about his initial decision to sign Dewsbury-Hall and to take the midfielder with him from Leicester, Maresca said last summer: “We've only been doing it for two or three weeks but the combination plays are really quick and tidy. That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start but it will improve.

"Within the first week at Leicester I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid, I thought I knew a lot about football but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides. I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."

Competition has increased at Chelsea this summer, so Dewsbury-Hall may well need to move on to get regular football.

Your next Fulham read, Supercomputer predicts final Premier League table in 2025-26