Fulham captain Brede Hangeland is close to signing a new contract to keep him at Craven Cottage beyond the summer, according to his manager Martin Jol.

The Fulham manager, speaking after Saturday’s win over Stoke, is confident that prolonged discussions with his Norwegian centre back will soon result in a confirmed deal. The 31 year-old defender is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with a Bosman move away from the club. Fulham rejected three offers from QPR in the January transfer window and Jol is confident that Hangeland commit his future to the club.

I think we are close. We will have a few players [signing new deals] in the next couple of weeks. Over the last couple of months Brede has been a tower.

Hangeland has starred in Fulham’s last two matches as the Whites kept two clean sheets and climbed to eleventh in the table. The captain was outstanding against Stoke on Saturday and has been a pivotal part of Fulham’s revival since joining the club from FC Copenhagen in January 2008. The 6ft 4in centre back has made 224 appearances, scoring ten goals.