Fulham sets sight on Chelsea defender

Newly promoted Premier League club Fulham have been heavily linked with a move for wantaway Chelsea defender Gary Cahill some weeks before the start of the January transfer window.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has told English centre back Gary Cahill that he cannot give him the playing time that he wants and that he can leave the club when the transfer window opens.

Cahill, 32, has just six months remaining on his present Chelsea deal meaning that he can either go for a cut-price deal in January or wait till the end of this season to secure a free transfer move.

The recently retired England international is not short of suitors with Fulham, Arsenal, AC Milan, Aston Villa and Manchester United.

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The Cottagers are the newest team to indicate interest in Gary Cahill as they bid tighten up at the back in the Premier League.

New Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri is keen to address his side’s defensive issues and the addition of Gary Cahill will go a long way to improve his defence.

Fulham are the bottom team in this season’s Premier League and this is mainly due to their poor defensive record.

They have not been able to keep any clean sheet in 16 attempts.