Fulham need to up their offer for Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos to convince the Argentine to make the move before deadline day.
That’s according to Marca, who are one of several outlets covering the situation around the player today after Fulham made their move for him this week.
Reports yesterday indicated that Fulham were pushing to sign Ocampos, with one indicating that they had struck an agreement with Sevilla and another stating that the agreement was in place with the player instead.
That is now followed up by various outlets in Spain today, who appear to pull back on that slightly and insist the matter is a little more complicated.
Marca explain that Ocampos and his entourage have ‘listened to Fulham’s proposal’ this week but the idea of a quick departure from Sevilla doesn’t appeal to him.
That happened to him when he went to Ajax on loan last year and he doesn’t want to repeat it unless the offer put in front of him is too tempting to resist.
That’s not the case with Fulham as yet because they have ‘not really bet’ on the Sevilla player. They’ve made an offer but it’s not yet tempting enough for Ocampos or the Spanish club and they ‘must up the ante’ if they really want him.
Estadio Deportivo, meanwhile, say that Ocampos is not in the mood to leave Sevilla this summer as he feels at home at the club and so does his family, who didn’t even follow him to Ajax last year.
Thus, it seems that Fulham ‘has to raise the offer a lot’ if they wish to sign him before the end of the transfer window this week.
They had leaked that they were offering him ‘almost double’ what he earns in Seville in an effort to make him change his mind.
That, though, does not appear to have tempted him as yet and the belief is that Marco Silva’s side will ‘return to the charge’ in the next few hours with a new attempt to persuade Ocampos and his family into the move.
Mucho Deporte continue that thread, insisting that Sevill are yet to make a formal offer for Ocampos and it is likelier he will stay than go at this point.
The player and his entourage do have an offer from Craven Cottage and things are ‘very advanced’ between the two parties but the player and his family have their doubts about the move.
Lastly there is Onda Cero, who state that while Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar ‘is praying’ his club don’t sell Ocampos, Fulham ‘continue to raise’ their offer.
They’ve now reached €12m plus €3m in variables, and according to their information, the player has almost agreed upon his contract with the Premier League side.
They state that he is now waiting for an agreement between the two clubs to be ‘definitively closed’ and his talks with Fulham are in anticipation of that happening. They seem more positive about Fulham getting him than the other outlets.
It all appears to be a matter of money, as these things usually are, and if the Premier League side offer enough to convince everyone involved they will be closer to getting their man.
