From France: Fulham leading the race for versatile 22-year-old defender

 

Freshly relegated from Ligue 1 to National, France’s third-tier, in the space of about a month, SC Bastia are in a lot of trouble.

Already relegated to Ligue 2 via the standard route of finishing in the bottom two, the Corsican side were then dropped another tier after failing to comply with regulations set by the DNCG, the organisation set up to monitor the accounts of French football clubs.

Each club needs to pass their demands at the end of the season, which Bastia failed to do, meaning Fulham could very well profit from the likely mass exodus.

The Championship club, who reached the playoffs last season, are said to be leading the race to sign Bastia defender Alexander Djiku, according to FootMercato.

One of the French website’s journalists, Constant Wicherek, released the information on Twitter, claiming the Cottagers were the ‘hottest’ to sign the 22-year-old.

Info : Fulham est le plus chaud sur la piste Djiku (Bastia).

— Constant Wicherek (@Stickwic) 26 June 2017

With Dennis Odoi’s Craven Cottage future a doubt after a rejected bid from Gent in the Belgian right-back, it could be that Slavisa Jokanovic is keeping an eye for potential alternatives were the 29-year-old to leave, adding depth in the middle as well.

Despite missing a chunk of last season with a fractured arm, Djiku was one of the regulars for Bastia throughout their poor Ligue 1 campaign, making 24 appearances in all competitions both in the centre and on the right of the defence.