Fulham are close to securing the signature of Brøndby IF striker Simon Makienok according to reports in Denmark.
It was believed that Crystal Palace were in pole position to sign the Danish striker but now it has emerged that Fulham have stolen a march on Palace with manager Rene Meulensteen pulling some strings with his former club to gain advantage in the race for the 23-year-old’s services.
Brøndby director Per Rud had earlier confirmed that there had been enquiries for the striker from a couple of Premier League sides and hinted that his side could accept a bid if the offer suited the player as well as club.
Rud had said, “There is attention from England. It depends on what is put on the table and whether the offer interests Simon.”
Makienok has been labeled as the Danish version of Peter Crouch, with striker standing at 6 foot 7 inches tall, similar to the beanpole Englishman. The 23-year has impressed for Brøndby IF since joining the club in 2012 from HB Køge, scoring 28 goals in only 60 appearances. Makienok has won 6 international caps with the Danish National Team. A price of around £3.5million has been quoted for the striker.
Fulham’s mini-revival under new manager Rene Meulensteen was halted abruptly as the Cottagers suffered an embarrassing 6-0 loss at the hands of newly-promoted Hull City in the weekend. The Dutch manager has indicated that he will be recruiting a couple of players to help in his sides’ battle against relegation and has already managed to secure the loan signing of Clint Dempsey.
The Cottagers have been very poor this season and have scored only 19 goals so far, despite possessing a wealth of attacking talent. Therefore, the relatively unknown quantity of Simon Makienok could prove to be an inspired signing.
