Europa League champions Villarreal are interested in a move for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to Fichajes.net.

Excelling in the Championship this term, the Serbian international has scored a whopping 21 goals in just 18 league games for the Cottagers thus far, with his latest strike coming against strugglers Barnsley at the weekend.

The 27-year-old has also recorded five assists in the second tier during 2021/22, playing a huge part in making the west London outfit the team with the best attacking record in the league as things stand, scoring 15 goals more than the second-most potent side in AFC Bournemouth.

 

 

With their victory at the weekend and Scott Parker's side's 3-2 loss against bottom club Derby County, they have gone top of the table with Mitrovic playing in every one of his team's league games so far this season and regaining his mojo under Marco Silva after seemingly losing it under previous boss Scott Parker.

Scoring just three goals in 27 Premier League appearances last term, that record seemingly hasn't deterred Unai Emery's side who are currently on the prowl for more attacking firepower after netting just 15 times in 13 Spanish top-tier games during 2021/22.

This has left them in a disappointing 12th place and in real danger of missing out on European football unless they can start firing.

With this, they could make Mitrovic their second signing from the EFL in the last 12 months, following ex-Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma through the door at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

His contract at Craven Cottage doesn't expire until 2026, but as per Fichajes.net, only €16m will be needed to prize him away from the English capital.

The Verdict:

The one thing Fulham fans should be encouraged by is the fact they aren't in the same situation Bournemouth were in when they offloaded Danjuma.

They may still be in the Championship, but they have put themselves in pole position for automatic promotion with their sublime attacking pedigree, something the Cherries were unable to do as they only managed to achieve a sixth-place finish last season before losing to Brentford in the play-off semi-finals, losing the Dutchman because of that.

As well as this, the Serbian seems to be happy now Silva's predecessor Parker has moved on and he won't want to stop scoring anytime soon, so making the risky move to Spain may not be his preference with a return to the top flight of English football on the cards next year.

And with his long-term future at the club secured, the second-tier outfit would have the upper hand at the negotiating table, potentially pricing Emery's men out of a move for now.

The west London outfit should be doing everything they possibly can to retain him - and unless an obscene bid comes in - they looking be looking to retain him with the chance of generating a sizeable fee for his services in future windows too.