Fulham are set to miss out on the signing of Chelsea forward Ike Ugbo this summer with the 22-year-old closing in on a move to Belgian side Genk, according to Fabrizio Romano.

It had been reported earlier on in the summer transfer window that Fulham were interested in making a move for Ugbo with the forward having enjoyed an impressive loan spell in Belgium last term with Cercle Brugge.

In total, the 22-year-old managed to register 16 goals in his 32 league appearances to highlight his potential.

A report from Goal had outlined that Fulham were a potential destination for the attacker with Chelsea keen to lower the size of their squad and with the 22-year-old only having one more year left on his deal. Although it was also believed that there was interest from AS Monaco, Sampdoria and Genk.

Now according to the latest update from Romano on Twitter, Fulham are set to miss out on the 22-year-old’s signature with Genk having agreed personal terms over a move for him. That suggests that Marco Silva’s side are going to have move on to other targets.

The verdict

This is a blow for Fulham with Ugbo a player that appeared to be someone that they could bring in and develop over the coming seasons.

However, it is not something that they won’t be able to recover from this summer and there should still be plenty of options out there for them to add to their attacking options.

It would likely have taken Ugbo a while to settle into life in the Championship and it could be argued that the English second tier is more competitive than the Belgian top-flight so he might have struggled more in front of goal at Craven Cottage.

However, the 22-year-old is a player with potential and he has shown maturity over the last year so he could have been a good addition.

Silva’s side need to add to their forward options you feel before the window closes and they will need to swiftly move on from this frustration. There is still plenty of time for them to find an alternative and it will be expected that they do invest in the attacking third if they are to challenge seriously for another promotion.