Fulham have confirmed the capture of Derby midfielder Giles Barnes on loan until the end of the season.
The Whites will have the option of making the move permanent at the end of the loan deal – for a fee believed to be around £2m. The 20 year-old midfielder is considered to be a potential replacement for Jimmy Bullard in the Fulham midfield, with Roy Hodgson moving quickly to snap him up when a temporary switch became possible earlier this week.
Barnes has struggled to maintain his fitness over the past couple of years with Derby but is a precocious talent as evidence by his brace against Manchester United in the League Cup earlier this month. He has made 82 first-team appearances in four years at Pride Park and was voted the Rams’ young player of the year in 2006/07.
