Fulham defender Maxime Le Marchand has opened the door to a return to the club this summer following his loan spell at Royal Antwerp.
The Frenchman has been on loan with the Belgian side since the summer; when it was made clear he was not a part of Scott Parker’s plans this season.
He’s only managed seven appearances in the Jupiler League this season but has also appeared in the Europa League as well.
There’s been no indication that they will look to make the deal a permanent one, and so he will be heading back to Fulham, where he has a year left on his current deal.
Whether he stays at Craven Cottage beyond that point remains to be seen, with Fulham likely to be rebuilding this summer after being relegated back to the Championship.
That is something Le Marchand is aware of and has hinted he may have a future in London after all.
“I am under contract at Fulham for another year,” he told Gazete van Antwerpen.
“They have dropped to the English second division and will have to rebuild their squad.
“I haven’t heard anything from them yet, but I’ll return after this season, and we’ll see what happens then.
“It certainly plays to my advantage that I have accumulated playing minutes at a high level.”
“Whether I can ever become a contract player with a top Belgian club? Absolutely. I don’t see why not. It depends, of course, on the length of the contract and the finances.
“I feel good here, and the Belgian league is very interesting. Playing for prizes is much more fun as a football player than relegation football.”
