Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is on the verge of a move to Real Betis, who look set to beat West Ham to his signature, according to the Daily Star.
Mitrovic is on Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini’s wish list if the club fail to land top target Maxi Gomez from Celta Vigo.
But Betis have stolen a march on them, with vice president Jose Miguel Lopez Catalan in London for talks with the Cottagers.
Fulham want £30m for Mitrovic, who has four years left on his contract and scored 11 Premier League goals last season.
But while the Spanish side are trying to do a deal for closer to £22m, the two sides are understood to be close to a compromise.
Bayer Leverkusen and Fenerbahce are also interested in Mitrovic but Betis wanted him in January and have now jumped to the front of the queue.
Mitrovic, 24, is set to leave Craven Cottage because Fulham need to raise funds for new signings after their relegation.
Boss Scott Parker is monitoring Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle and Middlesbrough’s Britt Assombalonga.
Mitrovic joined Fulham from Newcastle initially on loan in February 2018 and was a revelation in the Championship.
The Serbia striker helped the club win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, scoring 12 goals along the way.
That clinched him a permanent summer switch in a deal which cost Fulham £22m up front rising potentially to £27m with add-ons.
With Mitrovic now on a big-money contract, the Cottagers do not want to part with him for less than they paid.
Talks are set to continue with Betis but West Ham are not currently preparing a bid as their attention is focused elsewhere.
Mitrovic has 25 goals in 48 appearances for Serbia and scored twice in their 4-1 win over Lithuania on Monday night.
