This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Premier League side Fulham are eyeing up Norwich City full-back Max Aarons as an alternative to Arsenal's Cedric Soares.
That is according to the Mail Online, who report that the West London club will look to the Championship side if they fail to agree personal terms with the Portuguese full-back.
Aarons contract at Norwich expires in 2024, meaning he now has less than 18 months remaining on his current deal.
With the above in mind, below, we asked some of our FLW writers for their thoughts on the links, and what stance Norwich should take if Fulham come knocking.
Josh Cole
If Fulham are looking to bolster their options in the right-back position, they ought to avoid taking a gamble on Max Aarons.
During the previous campaign, the full-back struggled with consistency in the Premier League as Norwich suffered relegation from this division.
Aarons only managed to record a WhoScored match rating of 6.44 for the Canaries who conceded in 30 of the 34 league games that he participated in.
As for Norwich, it could be argued that they should only be looking to sell Aarons this month if they already have a suitable replacement lined up for him.
Declan Harte
Aarons would likely be an upgrade on targeting Soares, who has looked lost at sea at times for Arsenal during his time at the Emirates.
Meanwhile, Aarons is a promising, young full back with a lot of potential and plenty of top flight experience.
It would be a blow for Norwich to lose the 23-year old, which is why it should take a sizable fee to convince the Canaries to sell.
Something in the £15-20 million range may be acceptable, but in all likelihood a summer sale would be far more preferable, as Aarons could yet have a key role to play in the club’s attempts to get promoted this season.
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
Although he is seen as the alternative, I actually think Max Aarons is the more attractive proposition here.
He's a highly rated young full-back, with plenty of time to still improve, and no doubt hungry to prove and establish himself in the top flight.
On the other hand, it appears clear that Cedric Soares is on the decline after a rough few seasons with Arsenal.
As such, I believe Aarons would be a good addition for Fulham.
As for the stance that the Canaries should take, given his contract situation, Norwich will have to consider serious offers that arrive for the 23-year-old.
It may be that we finally see Aarons and the Canaries part way this window.