Tucked away in a Sky Sports transfer window update this morning about Monaco maybe improving their offer for Tosin Adarabioyo is the tasty morsel that Fulham remain interested in signing the Manchester City centre back Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Marco Silva suggested after the signing of Calvin Bassey last month that the Whites ‘had completed the centre backs’. This always seemed a bold statement but perhaps the Fulham head coach felt his powers of persuasion that had helped to reintegrate Aleksandar Mitrovic into the first-team squad could work on Tosin as well. The tall, ball-playing centre back seems to still have his heart set on a move to Monaco and is adamant he won’t extend his contract at Craven Cottage, which now has less than twelve months to run.

Monaco have so far failed to match Fulham’s valuation of their 25 year-old defender, having had bids worth £4.3m and £8.5m rejected. The situation is complicated by the fact that Manchester City hold a sell-on clause and, although Tosin was disappointed to lose his place after Issa Diop and Tim Ream forged a fine partnership at the heart of Silva’s defence last term, he remains an able deputy in the top flight – as evidenced by Tottenham’s enduring interest in his services. If Monaco do come up with the cash, then the Whites will need to sign a replacement.

That explains the interest, trailed in L’Equipe this morning, in Rennes defender Arthur Theate but also Fulham’s long-standing admiration of Harwood-Bellis, who was outstanding on loan at Burnley last term helping the Clarets cruise to the Championship title under Vincent Kompany and lifted the European under-21 Championship trophy with England in Georgia this summer. The Stockport-born centre half would fit Silva’s system to a tee and is keen to gain first-team football, having not started a Premier League game for City.

The stumbling block could be the fee, with City rumoured to be wanting around £15m for a player who is also entering the last year of his current contract, but this should be one to watch over the next fortnight.