Transfer news: Fulham fail in £4m bid to sign Porto midfielder Steven Defour

The west Londoners were close to agreeing a three-and-a-half year deal

Sunday 26 January 2014 15:11

Steven Defour in action for Belgium last November

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Fulham’s bid to sign Steven Defour has ended in failure after Porto decided they will not allow the Belgium midfielder to leave.

Defour, 25, held talks with Fulham’s chief executive Alastair Mackintosh last week and was ready to sign a three-and-half-year deal to move to west London for around £4million. But after the Portuguese champions confirmed the sale of club captain Lucho Gonzalez to Qatar Sports Club on Saturday, Defour’s agent revealed that his client will not be leaving.

“Steven has to stay at Porto. They sold Lucho Gonzalez and decided that Steven can take his place,” said Paul Stefani.

“We had to wait some days because to find out what Porto wanted to do and he had a meeting on Saturday night where they informed him of the decision. He is happy to stay but he was also happy go to Fulham. He had some good talks with them and it was a fantastic option but he has two years left on his contract in Portugal. Fulham made a very good impression and maybe we will see what happens in the future.”

German side Schalke were also interested in taking Defour, who has struggled to hold down a regular place since joining Porto from Standard Liege in 2011. But Defour, who tweeted a good luck message to Argentina international Gonzalez on Sunday, is now expected to play more of a part under coach Paulo Fonseca.

What are the biggest January transfers yet to happen?

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1/8What are the biggest January transfers yet to happen?

Monaco are leading the race to sign Blackpool winger Tom Ince according to reports. The England U21 international was reportedly driven by his father, Blackpool boss Paul Ince, to a meeting with representatives of the French club in London. The Blackpool boss cancelled a press conference ahead of his side's match with Barnsley earlier in the month after refusing to answer questions about his son's future. Instead he reportedly went to meet Monaco representatives, who can speak to the player whose contract expires in six months.

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Should United take the plunge and sell Wayne Rooney (either to Chelsea or otherwise) they'll need a replacement to fill his impervious shoes. The England striker will be out of contract next summer and is believed to want to make a decision on his future once the season has developed. Edinson Cavani is the international strike partner of fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez and is reportedly disillusioned by football in Ligue 1. Reports surfaced this month that Sir Alex Ferguson had rung his former player Laurent Blanc, the current PSG manager, to sound out a possible move.

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Newcastle United are preparing themselves for a considerable offer for Yohan Cabaye from the French giants after it emerged that they are willing to part with £21m for the midfielder. PSG have held a firm interest in the 28-year-old Frenchman for over a year and were expected to rival Arsenal for his signature in the summer. The Gunners' £10m bid was rejected and the Parisian club opted to bide their time despite Cabaye missing three games in an attempt to force a move away from St. James' Park.

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His agent has already claimed that the Bulgarian would like to leave Fulham this month despite his contract expiring at the end of the season. With £2m believed to be enough to secure skillful striker, it would be a low cost, low risk option, but questions remain over his work rate and energy levels. Whether Berbatov would quench the thirst of fans who feel another striker is integral to their top four hopes remains uncertain, but he does come with a natural talent that few in the Premier League can match – if only he produced it regularly.

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Roma star Miralem Pjanic has left the door open on a possible move to reigning Premier League champions Manchester United after admitting that he is 'flattered' by their interest. The 23-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international is also attracting attention from French giants Paris Saint Germain. Despite a move seeming unlikely during January, Pjanic appears open to a potential switch. It's a shame he isn't moving to a club in the capital, just because we could bring out our best 'Pjanic on the streets of London' gags.

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Should they miss out on Salah, Liverpool may switch their attention to Dynamo Kiev's Andriy Yarmolenko. The Reds have held a tentative interest in the 24-year-old after he figured prominently for the Ukraine against England in last year's World Cup qualifiers. Yarmolenko has scored eight league goals in sixteen appearances for Kiev this season, and has fourteen goals for Ukraine. Kop manager Brendan Rodgers is rumoured to prefer Salah, but the Swiss club continue to stall on any potential deal.

West Ham want a minimum of £10m for their sought-after midfielder Ravel Morrison, according to reports. Sam Allardyce's side have already rejected a £5m bid from Fulham and reported the club to the FA for alleged tapping up of the player. Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen has now reportedly been banned from talking about any transfers as the club try to avoid any more trouble. However West Ham No. 2 Neil McDonald said: “I would imagine everybody has a price. Asked if the Hammers want to keep the England under-21 star, he added: “Why not? He’s a talented player and we need talented players."

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United’s search for midfield reinforcements has led them to Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan, although they could face a fight with Real Madrid to sign the Germany international. With Anderson at Fiorentina on loan, it is believed David Moyes has stepped up his interest in 23-year-old Gundogan whose contract expires in 18 months and is valued at £25m. Part of the attraction is that the midfielder is not cup-tied for the Champions League as he has been out for most of the season with a back injury, although German newspaper Bild reports that Real are also admirers. “I will soon make a decision that will be well considered. It’s still really open,” Gundogan said yesterday.

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