Championship title winners Fulham need to up their offer for Braga midfielder Al Musrati if they want to secure his signature, according to a report from Portuguese outlet Record - via Sport Witness.

Reports from earlier in the week suggested that the Cottagers were closing in on the 40-cap Libya international as they seek to strengthen their squad to be competitive in the Premier League for the 2022-23 season.

Diario do Minho claimed that the 26-year-old was in the English capital to finalise a deal with Marco Silva's side, but it appears that wasn't the case at all.

Record - via Sport Witness' translations - state that Al Musrati has been on holiday as Fulham seek his signature, but they are yet to make a 'concrete proposal' for the defensive midfielder, with Braga wanting a €16 million fee for his services.

Silva is now apparently pressing on with his attempts to bring Al-Musrati, who appeared 45 times for Braga in all competitions last season, after being priced out of a move for Sporting's Joao Palhinha.

But Fulham need to offer more than they've currently put on the table according to reports in Portugal if they want to land the Libyan.

The Verdict

Fulham do need to secure a defensive midfielder in the early stages of the window, as that area of the pitch isn't strong enough at all for the upcoming season.

The likes of Nemanja Matic have also been linked, but Al Musrati definitely would bring a higher standard of player into the engine room.

It appears that the Cottagers will need to get a move on though as they have apparently been interested for weeks, yet no official proposal to Braga has been lodged.

You get the feeling though that a real bid is coming in the coming days or weeks, and he's one of the more likely players that Fulham have been linked with over the weeks to arrive this summer.