Fulham are reportedly closing in on the signing of Leicester City full-back Timothy Castagne.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s big-money sale has given the Cottagers a lot of financial power to wiggle around before Thursday’s transfer deadline. Marco Silva is desperately looking for defensive reinforcements, with a new right-back at the top of his agenda.
According to Evening Standard, Fulham have agreed a £15million fee with Leicester City for the transfer of Timothy Castagne. He completed his medical on Monday before signing a four-year deal at Craven Cottage.
Castagne, 27, has featured in a total of 112 games for Leicester City since arriving from Atalanta in 2020, contributing towards 13 goals. He managed 42 games across all competitions last season, and while the Foxes struggled, the full-back still managed to put in some impressive performances.
The Belgium international, who still has two years left on his contract at the King Power Stadium, wants to leave Leicester following their relegation from the Premier League. The report adds Juventus and Crystal Palace both explored a potential bid for Castagne but Fulham have seemingly won the race for his signature.
Timothy Castagne to Fulham—Good move?
Fulham have started the new Premier League season with a win at Everton, a defeat at home to Brentford before the dramatic 2-2 draw against Arsenal. Across the last two games, Marco Silva’s side have conceded five games, highlighting the problems in their defence.
Silva has added Calvin Bassey from Rangers to his squad’s defensive roster but is vying for the signing of a new right-back. And it seems Timothy Castagne is the Portuguese tactician’s top target for the right-back position.
Castagne is a hugely experienced full-back who can play on either side of the defence as well as a wing-back, thus offering Marco Silva’s squad with much-needed cover in defensive positions. Amidst Leicester’s struggles last season, the Belgian was an integral part of the squad, offering excellent attacking and defensive qualities at Premier League level.
These could come in handy should he join Fulham and Silva could play him ahead of Kenny Tete to give his team before defensive nous. Silva will hope the competition between Castagne and Tete only provides further inspiration for the season ahead. Having Castagne would also help the Cottagers improve their potency in the final third, with the 27-year-old more than capable of creating chances with incisive passing and pinpoint deliveries.
Signing Castagne would give Silva a big boost in his full-back department, while also adding experience to the squad. The next few days could prove to be crucial.
