Moussa Dembele is reluctant to return to Fulham on loan for the rest of the season if he joins another club this winter.
The Championship club want the 19-year-old forward, who is a target for Tottenham, to spend the remainder of the campaign with them if they sell him before the February 1 deadline.
But Standard Sport understands that if Fulham try to insert this clause into the transfer, Dembele is unlikely to accept it. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season and has offers from abroad, notably from Monaco and Wolfsburg.
Dembele would rather see out his contract at Fulham and then examine his options, rather than being sold in this window and then sent back to Craven Cottage.
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Fulham are keen to sell Dembele in the coming days, because if he moves abroad at the end of his contract, the club will receive little compensation for him under FIFA rules.
Fulham are currently operating under a transfer embargo which means they cannot pay a transfer fee for an outfield player in this window. As well as Spurs’ pursuit of Dembele, there is strong interest from high-flying Middlesbrough in striker Ross McCormack.
Boro are thought to have made two bids for McCormack, the latest offer £8million plus Spanish forward Kike. McCormack, 29, has never played at the top level in England and it is understood he would be keen on the move.
