Fulham stepping up pursuit of Sasa Lukic | OneFootball

Fulham have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic after the Italians hijacked Marseille’s deal for Hellas Verona’s Ivan Ilic.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano insists the Cottagers have pieced together an improved offer to price the 26-year-old out of the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

Marco Silva’s men have offered around £10 million to capture the services of the Serbia international in the wake of Ilic’s imminent move from Verona to Torino.

Despite being a step away from joining Marseille after agreeing on personal terms with the Ligue 1 title hopefuls, the Serbian prodigy decided to stick with Serie A at the 11th hour.

Ilic’s decision to ditch Les Olympiens’ interest in favour of linking up with the Granata is partly due to his close relationship with Torino boss Ivan Juric, who introduced him to top-flight football during his time at Verona.

With the 21-year-old on the verge of pledging his future to the Turin outfit, Lukic could be free to leave, especially following a turbulent summer, which saw him trying to force the club to increase his wages.

At 26, the versatile midfielder is an established Serie A star, but his future seemingly lies in the Premier League, with Fulham ready to complete his move in the coming days.

The Cottagers count on Torino’s willingness to give up their No 10, plus they’ve prepared a €2m-a-year contract for Lukic that would tie him to the London outfit until 2026.

It would also help Juric kill two birds with one stone.

In addition to offloading his unsettled star, he’d raise funds to keep hold of Nikola Vlasic and Aleksey Miranchuk, who are both currently on loan from West Ham United and Atalanta, respectively.