Fulham have put a £10m price tag on captain Tom Cairney as the club seek to deter interest in their creative midfielder from former boss Slavisa Jokanovic, according to a report from Teamtalk this morning.
Jokanovic, who was appointed as the permanent successor to Chris Wilder at Sheffield United last week, has reportedly made the Scottish international his top target as he bids to lead the Blades to an immediate top flight return. Cairney captained Jokanovic’s Fulham side to play-off final success over Aston Villa in 2018 and was a pivotal part of the team that fell short at the semi-final stage the previous season. The midfielder has previously said that the best football of his career came in that spell under Jokanovic.
The Scottish international still has a further three years to run on his current contract at Craven Cottage. Cairney is understood to be happy in London and would be unlikely to leave Fulham, although Jokanovic is apparently eager to explore the possibility of luring the 30 year-old playmaker to Yorkshire. Whether Sheffield United would be willing to part with such a significant sum for a player who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons in order to strike a deal remains to be seen.
Cairney, who made just ten league appearances this season having aggravated a knee problem picked up in pre-season, has scored 37 goals in 212 appearances since joining Fulham for around £3.5m in July 2015.
Only Fulham would part with 10m for a player who is continuously injured. We have a track record of having done it twice!
Although he had a long-term injury which ruled him out of the majority of the last season, £10 million pounds is a snip for a player who, when he is fit, can turn a match in a instant. Has got to be at least double that amount, but we shouldn’t be even considering selling him, regardless of how much we’re offered.
I’d be seriously surprised if Fulham would actively entertain bids for Cairney. Regardless of the injuries last year, his record in the Championship is second to none and it would be asking a lot of young Carvalho to step into that position on a regular basis in his first full season in senior football.
Felt like we badly missed Cairney in the second half of last season and, if we can get him fit for August, he’ll be a big player in the coming campaign.
Says a lot about the club, slapping the captain with a price tag. Some things are priceless says Mastercard and i have to agree
Putting a price tag on player definitely Isn’t there to deter teams from bidding from him.
With Slav and TC and SU I will be fighting back the urge of moving up north and getting a season ticket at bramall lane.
With Parker in charge; if ever there was a season to sleep right through…
I’d be amazed if Sheffield United could afford Cairney’s wages …