Fulham: Cottagers make Duvan Zapata contact
Fulham have made an approach over a move for Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata after a transfer elsewhere fell through.
Fulham signing a striker?
Marco Silva’s side have endured a mixed start to the new Premier League season after a 1-0 opening weekend win over Everton was followed by a 3-0 home defeat to Brentford.
The Cottagers have been without star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic after his £50m move to Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal, with the forward netting a header on his debut.
Fulham, as a result, appear to be on the hunt to replace Mitrovic before the September 1 deadline despite bringing in Raul Jimenez from Wolves and have been linked with a move for Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun.
However, the USA international appears to be edging closer to a move to AS Monaco. Another player who had been linked was Juventus’ Moise Kean, however, Silva has squashed that rumour while also laying out his concerns late in the window.
“No, Moise Kean is not a solution for us. I don’t like to talk about players that are not our players. Moise Kean is a player from Juventus. But I can confirm he is not the player we are looking for.”
“I will not answer about Mitrovic because it would be a lack of respect to the players we have in our squad right now. He understood my ideas and executed that.
“With more time it would be less difficult. Right now, at this moment in the mark, it is really difficult. This is the problem when you leave things for the last week of the market. We are not in the best position.”
The club’s search for a striker now appears to have led to interest in Zapata.
According to The Daily Mail, Fulham have been in contact over a transfer for Zapata by approaching Atalanta. The report states that the striker was set to make the move to AS Roma on loan but expressed doubts and the deal fell through at the 11th hour.
It is believed that Zapata is leaning towards staying at Atalanta, however, Fulham appear to be keen and have made their first move
The Cottagers are in the market for a new forward before the deadline.
Who is Duvan Zapata?
Zapata is an out-and-out centre-forward who has plied the majority of his club career in Italy. The 32-year-old has turned out for Napoli, Udinese, Sampdoria and Atalanta over the last 10 years, making 283 appearances in Serie A, scoring 108 goals.
A Colombia international, Zapata is known for his physicality, with former teammate Papu Gomez describing the forward as a “beast” who is “like a train”.
“Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big.
“Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!’”
A proven and experienced goalscorer in Italy, a move for Zapata could be one to keep an eye on in the final days of the window, but with time ticking, you’d expect Fulham will be in contact with a number of targets over potential moves to Craven Cottage.
