Portuguese side Braga didn’t bother waiting for Fulham to announce the transfer of Rui Fonte. They confirmed the move right after it was reported, and continue sharing new details about it.
Club president Antonio Salvador has spoken to the local press on Wednesday, and when talking about Fonte’s move to Fulham, he opened up and revealed everything.
Salvador first claimed that Fonte “wasn’t a player who Braga wanted to sell”. Then he confirmed Fulham had been chasing the attacker for a while, and made several attempts before agreeing a deal.
“Unfortunately, the offer from this club came a month ago. We only came to a deal on the fourth bid. It started at four million, went to six, then six and a half million.” (via O Jogo).
“I’ve always said he was untransferable, but Fulham also kept speaking to the player and Rui Fonte became aware of the conditions he would have at this club. From there, it was impossible to hold him and what was left for me was to stand for Braga’s interests.”
Fonte is joining Fulham on a €9.1m deal.
This amount will be split between Braga and Benfica, since the Lisbon side kept 50% of his rights when letting him go last summer.
English football won’t be something new for Fonte as he already had earlier experiences at London clubs Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
Another reason why the adaptation shouldn’t be a problem for Rui Fonte is that his brother José Fonte now plays for West Ham.
