Fulham pushing hard to sign $41m USA striker as secret Cottagers agenda is revealed | OneFootball

Fulham are continuing to put in the hard yards over their ongoing pursuit of Ricardo Pepi – and sources can reveal the Premier League side have another agenda closely tied to their pursuit of the USMNT striker.

The Cottagers came within a whisker of signing Pepi on transfer deadline day, only for PSV Eindhoven to back out of a deal after they were unable to secure a replacement. However, with a deal structure in place and with Pepi himself saying yes to the move, there is optimism that the transfer can be resurrected come the summer.

That news came as a devastating blow not just for the Cottagers but for Pepi himself. We are told the player has made it clear to PSV that he wanted the move to London, and is eager to follow the path carved out by fellow Americans Clint Dempsey, Brian McBride and Tim Ream, all of whom became major fan favourites at Craven Cottage.

Despite the setback, Fulham have remained in contact with the Dutch side since the winter deadline and are exploring a potential framework for a deal that could be agreed outside the window and triggered early in the summer.

We understand the two clubs are working on a slightly reduced transfer fee of around the £30m (€34.5m, $41m) mark; down a fraction on the £32.2m (€37m, $44.3m) deal that was struck on deadline day.

Now we can reveal that Fulham have a double incentive to get the deal over the line – and it also ties in with the future of head coach Marco Silva…

The Fulham head coach pushed for the addition of a new striker during the January transfer window, but the club were unable to reach an agreement with PSV Eindhoven at that time.

But the London side know that securing Pepi would represent a significant step towards convincing Silva that the club are backing his ambitions, as talks continue over a new contract.

The Portuguese coach, regarded as one of the best in the business, has done a stellar job since his appointment in July 2021, winning 94 of his 214 games at the helm to help establish Fulham as a progressive mid-table Premier League side.

But the club want more and aim to push on into the upper reaches of the Premier League and know that tying Silva down is vital to those ambitions.

To that end, Fulham are keen for Silva to commit to a fresh three-year deal and believe demonstrating intent around the transfer market will be key to reaching an agreement.

Behind the scenes, the club remain hopeful that Silva will soon put pen to paper, despite whispers of admiration from Nottingham Forest, who could yet try again to lure the Portuguese to the City Ground should they decide to dispense of Sean Dyche’s services.

But with Forest not safe from the drop yet themselves, it would be some surprise were Silva to leave mid-season and he is committed to helping the club finish as high up as possible this season.