Benfica set to complete loan move for Fulham Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou

Portuguese club Benfica are on the verge of completing a season-long loan deal for Fulham Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou, Sky Sports has reported.

The news was confirmed by the club manager Kit Symons, who said that an agreement is all but reached, adding that it was the player’s desire to play in the top flight.

Symons said to Sky Sports: “it’s not confirmed yet.

“It’s not disappointing. All along he’s been open and straight and said he wanted to play for Fulham if we were in the Premier League. He’s said all along he doesn’t want to play in the Championship’’.

Sources are now suggesting that Benfica will sign a deal that gives them the option to buy the forward for an excess of £4 million.

In addition to Benfica, the forward has been linked with a host of European clubs, including Portuguese rivals Sporting Lisbon and Turkey’s Besiktas and Galatasaray.

The 27-year-old joined Fulham from Olympiakos for a club record £12 million fee in January 2014. However, he found it difficult to adapt to the English game, prompting the Whites to send him back to the Greek club after playing only three games.

He played what might turn out to be his last game in Fulham shirt against Crystal Palace at the Craven Cottage on Saturday.

The expensive flop will undoubtedly go down as one of the most regrettable signings in Fulham’s recent history, with the London club now desperate to cash in and relieve their wage bill.