Fulham manager Marco Silva has remained coy over the club’s decision to sign Samuel Chukwueze on a permanent deal at the end of the season, SportPremi reports.
The Nigerian winger joined the club on an initial season-long loan deal in the summer from Italian side AC Milan and has impressed since his arrival.
The 26-year-old is also the second-highest earning footballer at the Cottagers, only behind German goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The London club have an option to make the deal permanent next summer and have been reported to be willing to trigger the transfer clause.
Chukwueze has scored two times and provided three assists in his first eight appearances in the English Premier League, making the starting lineup just twice in that period.
He earned the player of the match award in a 2-1 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur last week, before netting twice as a substitute in the 5-4 defeat to Manchese
The winger was also impressive in last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in a London derby clash and almost contributed to a goal, although he was deemed offside in the buildup to Emile Smith-Rowe’s strike.
Silva focused on present, shun questions on Chukwueze’s future
While speaking in an interview, manager Marco Silva praised the winger’s impact since moving to the club, but refused to confirm if the club are willing to take up the offer to sign him on a permanent deal.
“A permanent deal? It’s not the moment to speak about that. There’s plenty of time to make that decision. We’re calm, and so is he. He knows what he has to keep doing — helping the team. When the time is right, we’ll decide”, Marco Silva said.
“He’s mature, he’s creative, and he has real quality. We want to see even more from him, but he doesn’t need to prove himself every single match. He’s an international, he’s played for a big European club, he understands pressure.
Beyond the football, he brings great energy to the group. He’s a good lad, always smiling, and when it’s time to work, he works”, he continued.
Fulham could pay almost €30 million to complete the signature of the forward on a permanent basis before next summer, having initially paid a loan fee of about €3 million.
The Cottagers next piece of action comes against Burnley in the English Premier League next weekend, with Chukwueze set to play his last game before heading to the 2025 African Cup of Nations with Nigeria.
