Fulham join Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen in transfer battle for Leeds United star | OneFootball

Fulham are said to have entered the race to acquire Leeds United's sought-after winger Crysencio Summerville, according to reports.

Interest in United's star performer has been long-standing, and has only intensified following the fallout of the recent defeat in the Championship play-off final to Southampton on May 26th.

Summerville was linked with an array of Premier League clubs across a season during which he was named the EFL's Championship Player of the Season after a plethora of stunning, dynamic displays on the left wing for Daniel Farke's outfit.

Many of those clubs have stepped up their interest in the Dutchman. However, a surprise has since been thrown into this ongoing transfer saga.

Fulham enter race to sign Crysencio Summerville

And that's because on Thursday afternoon, TEAMtalk have exclusively revealed that Fulham are the latest club monitoring the 22-year-old's situation at Elland Road.

The publication have claimed that the Cottagers are ready to join what looks set to be an intense battle between themselves, other top flight sides and clubs across the continent in pursuing one of the second tier's star performers.

The report goes on to state that Summerville is on Marco Silva's shortlist ahead of the summer transfer window, as the Portuguese looks to bolster his attacking threat in West London.

In addition, it has been claimed that the Dutch youth international has been viewed as a long-term replacement for Willian, as the former Chelsea and Brazil winger, who has become a fans' favourite at Craven Cottage, is out of contract at the end of June and hasn't yet finalised a decision regarding his own future.

Further interest in Crysencio Summerville has emerged since Leeds United play-off defeat

As previously referenced, interest in Summerville has been rife since the Wembley defeat.

Aside from Fulham, the most recent team to join this developing transfer saga is Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, with German news outlet SportBILD, relayed by SportWitness, claiming that Xabi Alonso's men believe they could strike a deal for a reduced price of €20m - which equates to approximately £17m.

Furthermore, it was recently revealed by The Athletic that the winger's name has cropped up in Newcastle United's pre-season recruitment discussions, after it was reported by Football Insider that they and Aston Villa had been mooted as potential destinations.

Meanwhile, The Mirror have also reported that Summerville is a part of Crystal Palace's potential contingency plans, should Oliver Glasner lose either Michael Olise and Ebere Eze, who have enjoyed fine seasons in South London.

Ben Jacobs also stated to GiveMeSport that the long-term Liverpool and Chelsea target would be available for a price in the region of £30-£40m, as Arne Slot and Enzo Maresca prepare for their first transfer window's at Anfield and Stamford Bridge respectively.

Leeds United must take strong stance in developing transfer saga

In some ways, a bidding war for Summerville's services will prove ideal for the United hierarchy, who hold a significant proportion of power in any potential departure.

There have been contrasting reports on whether Summerville is content in West Yorkshire, as per TEAMtalk and FootballInsider, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that Leeds must maximise every last ounce of money they can make from a sale of their biggest asset.

Leverkusen's hopes of forcing Leeds into a €20 million sale does feel like wishful thinking, with it seeming more reasonable that United will push for the aforementioned price in the region of £30 million-£40 million, as he still has two years left on his contract.

Whilst Fulham fans will be ecstatic that they have identified the winger as a target, and someone who would definitely flourish in Silva's system, when you compare their stature to some of the other suitors, it does feel like they could fall behind Leverkusen, Villa and Chelsea in that regard, with both offering European football.