Fulham lead Troy Parrott race as three clubs target Republic of Ireland hero | OneFootball

Fulham are battling Wolfsburg and Real Betis in the race to sign Troy Parrott following his huge impact in the Republic of Ireland’s quest to qualify for the World Cup 2026.

So far, the trio are the clubs that have gone in strongest in what is expected to be a wide race for the AZ Alkmaar forward over the next few months.

The 23-year-old's profile exploded after the five goals against Portugal and Hungary that sent Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side into a World Cup play-off.

But that was only on the back of burgeoning development that had made a series of clubs around the Premier League and European football take note of his impact in the Netherlands.

Wolfsburg have talked about a €20m (£17.4m) deal, but it is understood that AZ would want even more. Fulham have so far shown the strongest interest from the Premier League.

Having energised his career at AZ, though, Parrott is understood to want to be very considerate about his next steps. While the forward does want to return to the Premier League at some point - he initially came through the Tottenham Hotspur system - any English move would have to fully make sense for both his current position and future prospects, which is why he is happy to stay in Europe.

The Bundesliga is an appealing option, particularly with the way the competition has proven so successful in developing young talent.

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Troy Parrott was the hat-trick hero (Getty Images)

Away from his prolific run for his country, Parrott has hit nine goals in 13 Eredivisie games, with 10 more goals this term in Conference League qualifiers and the KNVB Cup.

Parrott is tied fourth in the Eredivisie top scorer standings, with Ayase Ueda clear with 18 goals in as many games for Feyenoord.