Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is already worth more than €25m after enjoying an exceptional start to life with loan club Napoli, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).
The Cameroonian arrived in Naples at the end of August after expressing his desire to leave the west London club at the start of that month, just before the Cottagers' opening day clash with Middlesbrough.
As per The Athletic, the reason behind this transfer request was due to his reluctance to play in the Championship, something the English side were unable to avoid after finishing 11 points adrift of safety in the Premier League last term.
It looked as though he would find it difficult to escape from Craven Cottage after being recalled to the first-team squad for the following four games and making three second-tier appearances, with Fulham boss Marco Silva publicly admitting he would have wanted to retain the 25-year-old as a world-class operator in the middle of the park.
However, his wish wasn't granted and Anguissa joined the Italian side on a season-long deal on deadline day, signing a one-year contract extension with the Cottagers before making the move across Europe.
Luciano Spalletti's side have the option to make this move permanent at the end of the season for a €15m fee, but after such a bright start with the Cameroon international being labelled as the best midfielder in Serie A by former Inter Milan centre-back Daniele Adani, Gazzetta dello Sport believe the loanee is worth at least €25m now.
And despite his obvious quality, the Italian outlet (via Sport Witness) have gone as far as describing Anguissa as one of the surprise packages of the league so far with his performances, potentially making Fulham regret the low permanent clause they set for their wantaway star.
The Verdict:
€15m is probably the best Fulham could have hoped for in the situation at the time of his temporary departure.
He had made just three Championship cameos at that point and without his move to Napoli being secured, it would have been unlikely to see him sign a one-year contract extension at Craven Cottage like he did before his move.
His previous deal was set to run out in 2023, so Marco Silva's side would have faced the prospect of letting one of their most valuable assets go for an even cheaper deal if they hadn't let him go during the previous window.
It looks as though Napoli will activate that €15m permanent option in his agreement considering his current performances, but if they don't, Fulham still have the opportunity to make a similar amount of money or even more for his services after seeing him sign this new contract to extend his stay at Craven Cottage until 2024.
Because of this and the fact he was desperate to leave the club, receiving €15m and taking a loss on him isn't as bad as it looks from the outside, even though he would be worth much more now with his current performances.
In fairness, the Cottagers may not be enough space for him in the midfield next term anyway with Jean Michael Seri, Josh Onomah, Tom Cairney, Nathaniel Chalobah and Harrison Reed available as options.