Fulham and West Ham are the frontrunners in a big-money battle for Nice’s £25m-rated striker Alassane Pléa, according to the Sun.
Earlier this afternoon, Sky Sports reports suggested that Newcastle, Tottenham, Fulham and West Ham were preparing offers for the French forward. The 25 year-old has been watched by a host of scouts from across Europe after scoring 21 goals in 48 appearances as the Eaglets finished eighth in Ligue 1.
Nice are rumoured to value Pléa at around £26.5m and the Sun claims that Fulham have attempted to move to the front of the queue by tabling a cash up-front offer. The paper’s report suggests that Pléa is ready to fly to London early next week to discuss personal terms should a fee be agreed. Fulham are eager to supplement their options in attack as they prepare for their return to the Premier League – with Slavisa Jokanovic keen to turn Aleksandar Mitrovic’s loan from Newcastle into a permanent move.
Pléa began his career with Lyon and moved on loan to Auxerre before signing for Nice in August 2014. He has three years to run on his current contract at the Allianz Riviera and has scored 44 goals in 135 appearances for Nice.
