Transfer: Fulham eye Orban to replace Mitrovic

• Fulham targets Nigerian striker Gift Orban as replacement for Mitrovic; Tottenham and Lille also interested, Gent demands £30-40m
• Orban’s strong goal record prompts Fulham interest, but Gent’s asking price and competition create uncertainty in the transfer

Fulham are planning a move to sign Nigerian striker Gift Orban before the end of the summer transfer window.

Tottenham Hotspur and Lille, both of which are interested in signing the Nigerian striker, are also interested.

The Cottaggers consider the 21-year-old petit forward to be one of three ideal replacements for Aleksandar Mitrovic, who left the London club for Al Hilal for a club record £46 million.

Orban, who scored 20 goals in 22 games after joining from Norwegian second-tier club Stabaek in January last season, has already scored six goals in six games this season, including another hat-trick against Pogon Szczecin in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.

Gent, on the other hand, want between £30m and £40m to sanction a sale for the 21-year-old, but Fulham are unwilling to match the asking price.

He (Orban) is one of three options to replace Mitrovic,” the report stated.

Whether Fulham will also go full for him remains to be seen. At the moment there is no offer yet. And the asking price scares them off for the time being.

The Buffalos won’t just let their top goal scorer go and at the moment there is a price tag of £30m to £40m on the Nigerian striker.

The fee would be a new Belgian record, exceeding the money spent by AC Milan to sign Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge 12 months ago.

That transfer saw De Ketelaere move for around £31m to the Rossoneri, but given Orban’s record in 2023, it is no surprise to see similar figures being touted.

Gent will be hoping that Orban can maintain his impressive form when they face APOEL Nicosia in the first leg of their Conference League play-off round later tonight.

Both teams will be meeting for the first time in this competition. Gent reached the Conference League quarter-finals last season before being eliminated 5-2 on aggregate by eventual champions West Ham.