The future of Fulham captain Tom Cairney is up in the air with reports confirming that the player can go for £20 million in the summer. West Ham United had made a £18 million bid for the player in the Winter Transfer Window in January 2018 but failed to land him. Reports now believe that the player could move in the summer with clubs like Watford and Newcastle interested in the 27-year-old.
Cairney’s clause states that the player is free to quit the club for £20 million next season if the club fails to win promotion for next season’s English Premier League. The side from Craven Cottage is now third in the Sky Bet Championships table with 69 points from 38 games. They are harbouring high hopes of qualifying for the playoffs as they are 7 points above the required mark and have collected 24 of their last 30 available points.
The Fulham board had clarified earlier in January that they are not looking to sell any player back in the winter window were trying to help the team fight for a playoff spot. However, Watford’s latest interest in Cairney is booming and Fulham may be resigned to losing the midfielder next season. The 27-year-old has been in excellent form this season at Craven Cottage and Watford are ready to reward him by bringing him to the Premier League.
Cairney has scored around 25 goals in over 110 appearances for Fulham and could prove to be a good deal for Javi Gracia’s men, given his football dynamics. However, agreeing on a deal with a Fulham side for £20 million, who will want to keep their captain, will now be the main focus of the deal.
As for Watford, Silva’s departure leaves the club with a lot to prove especially since the Portuguese had done a decent job in his short spell at the Hornets. He assembled a decent squad which has the potential to stay up in the league but given the fact that the Hornets has just won one match in the league since the end of November, Gracia will have a job on his hands to recharge the sinking team.
They currently have established midfielders like Abdoulaye Doucoure, Tom Cleverley, Etienne Capoue and Nathaniel Chalobah. Hence it will be interesting to see where exactly they fit in Cairney. It could well be the case that the arrival of Cairney may pave the way for the exit for one of the club’s current midfielders, especially Doucoure, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the recent times.
