Fulham Target Meeting Coach To Demand Cottagers Move Happens | OneFootball

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Fulham target Chibuke Nwaiwu is set to meet Trabzonspor manager Fatih Tekke and the club’s hierarchy to request that they facilitate his move to Craven Cottage.

The 23-year-old centre-back only arrived at Trabzonspor from Austrian side Wolfsberger AC in January, but wasted little time making his mark, racking up 21 appearances in the second half of the campaign.

During that spell, he contributed three goals and one assist for the Black Sea Storm, with his impressive form also earning him a Nigeria call-up in March.

Capable of playing at centre-back, right-back, defensive midfield and central midfield, Nwaiwu’s versatility has quickly emerged as one of his biggest strengths, with Fulham keen to bring him to Craven Cottage ahead of the new season.

The Premier League club were said to be close to reaching an agreement earlier this month, with preliminary terms in place and personal terms also understood to have been agreed with the defender.

However, Trabzonspor have since been said to be ‘continuously revising’ their demands in an effort to prevent the Nigeria international from leaving this summer.

The drawn-out negotiations are now said to be testing Nwaiwu’s patience, with the defender understood to have his sights firmly set on a move to England.

According to Trabzonspor insider Serdar, the 23-year-old is due to meet Fatih and the club’s hierarchy to ask that they facilitate his transfer.

The Turkish side, who finished third in the Super Lig last season, are holding out for an initial €15m payment as part of the overall €30m package.

Fulham, meanwhile, are understood to have requested a reduced fee in exchange for structuring the remaining payment in two instalments.

With pre-season already under way, Nwaiwu is said to be eager to complete his move to London, and the meeting could prove pivotal in determining the next step in negotiations.

It now remains to be seen how long the talks continue and on what terms Trabzonspor ultimately agree to part with the defender.

The Cottagers, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat to Norwich City under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa when they face Al Ahli in a pre-season friendly tomorrow.