Talks ramp up as Fulham push for club-record striker signing after big injury forces Marco Silva hand

Fulham are considering a fresh move for Armando Broja with the club keen to sign the Chelsea forward before Thursday’s transfer deadline, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Broja has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge throughout January having struggled to cement a place in Chelsea‘s starting lineup under new manager Mauricio Pochettino this season.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed on Monday that Pochettino is happy to let the forward leave this month with Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa leading the chase for his signature.

Fulham and Wolves have been the most active in the pursuit of Broja, with both clubs having loan offers already rejected earlier this month.

TEAMtalk can now reveal that Fulham are weighing up making another offer for Broja, with the club holding talks with Chelsea over the last 24 hours in the search for a solution.

Fulham and Chelsea are understood to be edging closer to an agreement for the 22-year-old, who came through the Stamford Bridge club’s academy after a short spell with Tottenham Hotspur as a youngster.

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Fulham considered fresh Broja offer after Chelsea talks

Chelsea are believed to be seeking a loan with an obligation to buy, with the Blues pushing for a guaranteed sale of Broja – at a starting price of £35million – in the summer.

Fulham’s previous offer only included an option to buy, whereas Wolves’ offer was understood to be a straight loan with no option for nor commitment to a permanent deal.

The Cottagers’ attempts to get a deal over the line for Broja are expected to intensify after forward Raul Jimenez, a summer signing from Wolves, was taken off with a hamstring injury after 45 minutes of Fulham’s goalless draw with Everton on Tuesday.

Fulham also lost centre-back Issa Diop to a hamstring injury on 75 minutes, with manager Marco Silva admitting the injuries were “not a good sign” in the post-match press conference.

He said: “Both came off with some hamstring issues there. Let’s see how they are going to be in the next hours. They are going to be assessed by the medical department and let’s see how they’re going to be.

“When you have some issues in the hamstring, it’s not a good sign. When you play three games in seven days, such intense games and all that stuff, you have always a risk there.

“In some moments it’s possible for us to rotate, but it’s not been easy to rotate some players, too, and we have this type of risk that we have to take.”

Committing to a £35m fee for Broja in the summer would see Fulham shatter their transfer record, having made Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michael Seri the club’s record signing for £25m following promotion to the Premier League in 2018.

Fulham have been on the hunt for more striking options following the loss of star forward Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal last summer.

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