Fulham lead race for Shea Charles as £25m transfer talks progress | OneFootball

Southampton star is attracting plenty of interest

Fulham are advancing in talks over a deal for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles as they look to wrap up their third signing of the summer.

Standard Sport understands that Fulham are working on a deal worth around £25million for the former Manchester City academy graduate.

The 22-year-old has attracted plenty of interest this summer after an impressive season with Southampton, as they reached the Championship play-offs before being kicked out as a result of the Spygate scandal.

Leeds United have had two bids for Charles rejected, but it is now believed Fulham are leading the race for his signature.

Fulham are looking to add to their midfield ranks, with Sasa Lukic into the final year of his contract and attracting interest from newly promoted Ipswich Town.

They completed the signing of 21-year-old midfielder Cesar Palacios from Real Madrid earlier this week for around £8.5m and are reportedly interested in a move for Los Blancos teenager Thiago Pitarch.

Alvaro Arbeloa has also raided his former club to sign striker Gonzalo Garcia for a fee in the region of £34.3m. The 22-year-old has been brought in as a replacement for veteran forward Raul Jimenez.

After securing two of his top targets, Arbeloa has now turned his attention to Charles, who has more than 100 Championship appearances under his belt as he looks to stamp his mark on Fulham’s ageing squad.

Southampton start the new season this weekend when they travel to Colchester United in the Carabao Cup first round.

Fulham, meanwhile, continue their pre-season preparations with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Crystal Palace on Friday.