Fulham are at the front of the queue for Real Betis winger Rodrigo Riquelme but are yet to contact the Spanish side.
The 26-year-old has been impressing for Betis this season, with three goals and one assist in 11 league games this season. He also has one assist in three games in the Champions League.
He joined Betis in an €8m deal from Atletico Madrid in 2025 and has managed 12 goals and three assists in 53 games since. That has been enough for clubs to show an interest ahead of January.
Reports have this week linked Fulham with a potential move. They seem to have a close eye on the Spanish market at this moment in time after hiring Alvaro Arbeloa last summer.
In fact, all but one of their summer arrivals was signed from Spain. That was Shea Charles from Southampton. And it seems Riquelme could be the latest target.
Fulham in the lead
Estadio Deportivo report that interest in Riquelme is very serious and Fulham have taken the lead. The newspaper knows that Fulham are one of several sides interested in the winger. Scouts have regularly been attending Betis games to watch him.
Fulham are best positioned among those sides and, the most likely to turn that interest into concrete action. Estadio even claim his signing is a top priority.
But, as they have learned, no formal communication has yet reached Betis’ club headquarters at La Palmera. And the Spanish side aren’t interest in a say anyway.
The player is fully a part of Manuel Pellegrini’s plans, and, as the top scorer, a sale would not be welcomed. They would only consider a sale if an offer arrived that yielded a profit. This would require a figure exceeding €16m.
€20m more likely
That would allow the club to recoup their initial investment having paid €8m for 50% of his rights in 2025. More realistically, though, they would demand a €20m or more fee because of the attention he is earning.
The player, for his part, would prefer to remain at Heliópolis for now. However, that could change next summer.
Everything will likely depend on whether the interest from Fulham translates into an offer that is too good to turn down. Any move during January is unlikely unless Fulham put a big fee on the table.
