Fulham have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Leo Ostigard to Craven Cottage this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claimed that Stoke City have beaten off the competition to secure a loan deal for the Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back, with the 21-year-old having undergone a medical with the Potters ahead of his temporary switch to the bet365 Stadium.
Indeed, a host of Championship clubs were reported to have been keen on a move for the coveted defender, with Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, along with Fulham and Stoke, also credited with an interest in the Norway under-21 international.
However, it now appears as if Tony Khan will have to turn his attention elsewhere regarding additions to the Fulham defence in the summer transfer window, with Ostigard set to complete a move to Stoke in the very near future.
Khan will be fuming
With Fulham having lost the services of loanee Joachim Andersen at the end of last season, and the Cottagers’ director or football having so far failed to replace the 25-year-old centre-back with a new signing in the position this summer, Khan is sure to be fuming over missing out on a deal for Ostigard.
The 21-year-old impressed over his 39 Championship appearances while on loan at Coventry City last season, with the £2.7m-rated man helping his side to keep 11 clean sheets, averaging one interception, 0.7 tackles and 4.1 clearances and winning 6.6 duels per game.
He also chipped in for his team in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of one shot and making 0.2 key passes per fixture.
These returns saw the man who Mark Robins dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.84, ranking him as Coventry’s joint seventh-best performer in the Championship last term.
As such, it would very much seem as if Ostigard would have made a fantastic addition to Marco Silva’s options in defence ahead of a hectic Championship campaign. However, with Stoke appearing to have all but secured the signing of the centre-back, Khan must now turn his search elsewhere over what remains of the summer transfer window.
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