Sky Sports are reporting that Fulham are set to test Doncaster’s resolve to keep hold of Billy Sharp with a £3.5m bid.
Rovers chairman John Ryan has admitted that the in-form forward has a £3m release clause written into his contract but both Ryan and manager Dean Saunders have insisted that Doncaster will fight tooth and nail to see off any interest in Sharp’s services. The 26 year-old has scored nine goals for the Championship strugglers so far this season and hit the headlines earlier in the year for continuing to play so soon after the death of his young son Luey.
Saunders reiterated today that he hopes Sharp will decide to remain at the Keepmoat Stadium:
I’m hoping he’ll stay. I think he’s playing well at the moment. I don’t want to lose him but I’ve been a striker myself and when these things are going to happen, they happen.
He’s a striker and if you bang goals in you go up to the next league, whatever league you’re in. I’m just glad he’s on form and banging goals in for us and he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing, not take his eye off the ball and what will be, will be.
I’m planning as if he’s going to be here, nothing’s been done yet. I don’t know what’s going to happen around the corner. At the end of the day the final decision will be Billy’s.
Martin Jol is known to be keen to sign a striker in the January window with the future of current forwards Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson still very much up in the air.
