Ricardo Pepi set to join Fulham - US striker arrives from PSV in the summer

U.S. men’s national team striker Ricardo Pepi is set to join Fulham from Dutch giants PSV. After a winter transfer failed, the Cottagers were expected to resume their interest in Pepi in the summer window. According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Fulham are now set to complete the deal. The Premier League side had submitted a second bid of €32m for the 23-year-old earlier in January, but there was a gap in valuation between the two clubs. The transfer is now expected to go through in July, as part of a deal worth €36m in total.

The USA international has been in fine form for the Eredivisie leaders, scoring 13 times in 27 appearances across all competitions. As a result, he has attracted interest from clubs in England, Germany, and Italy. A recent broken arm injury also complicated the deal. It is understood from our sources in the Netherlands that if a bid had come earlier, a deal could have been done in the winter. Despite that injury, Pepi saw his market value increase to €25m as part of the recent Eredivisie market value update.

PSV are looking to extract the maximum value for a player who cost €11m to sign from Augsburg in 2023 and is under contract until June 2030, having penned an extension in February last year. Pepi arrived in Europe from FC Dallas in January 2022 but struggled in his first season and failed to score a single goal for the Bundesliga outfit. However, he has found his feet in the Netherlands via a loan spell with Groningen and fought his way into the men's national team picture under head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Long-term Jiménez replacement? Pepi set to arrive this summer

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been searching for a long-term replacement for Raúl Jiménez, who turns 35 in May and is out of contract in the summer. The west London outfit do have Rodrigo Muniz, who fired nine goals last season, but the Brazilian has been sidelined through injury after undergoing surgery on his hamstring in November. Muniz had been linked with Atalanta before deciding to remain in London, and his future at Craven Cottage is uncertain.