Transfer target - Junior Malanda

Fulham appear to be in the hot-seat to sign Zulte-Waregem teenager Junior Malanda after they made an official bid of £4.5m, according to reports.

It may not be a name that jumps out at you, but if you have seen the youngster do his thing, then you will know exactly why Cottagers boss Martin Jol is desperate to clinch the deal.

A versatile youngster who can be deployed either in central midfield or defence, he has excelled in his first season for his Belgian club and has naturally sparked interest from a host of top clubs across Europe, but it is believed that Malanda would prefer a move to the Premier League and Fulham could be the perfect fit for the starlet.

Malanda has already been shipped around quite a bit during his youth career, representing 7 different clubs at academy level in just 4 years, but he finally settled at Lille and it proved to be the correct decision. He went on to make 17 appearances for the club and even got his name on the scoresheet before he return to his country of birth and signed for Zulte Waregem.

The youngster has also been an influential figure in the Belgium youth set up with appearances for the U15, U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams, whilst he is highly expected to make the jump up to the ever-flourishing senior side.

Standing at 5ft11, Malanda is not the tallest of enforcers but his stocky frame gives him the ability to scrap for possession and allows him to be strong in the air, something which will only grow if he gets the chance to partner Brede Hangeland in the heartbeat of the Fulham defence.

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