Fulham are in advanced talks to sign Villarreal centre-back Jorge Cuenca.
The 24-year-old played 37 matches across all competitions for Villarreal last season and would bolster Marco Silva’s central defensive options.
Fulham are prioritising defensive reinforcements after Tosin Adarabioyo to Chelsea as a free agent earlier in the window, while Tim Ream is in talks to join MLS club Charlotte FC.
Villarreal signed Cuenca from Barcelona — for whom the defender made one first-team appearance — in the summer of 2020 and the central defender spent the subsequent two seasons on loan at Almeria and Getafe respectively.
Cuenca has been a part of Villarreal’s first-team squad for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, establishing himself as a regular starter last season with 28 starts across all competitions.
Fulham’s one summer signing to date has been the return of Ryan Sessegnon as a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Tottenham Hotspur.
The west London club have a deal in place worth up to £35million to sign Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe, who is due to link up with the Fulham squad on their preseason trip to Portugal after completing a medical
Alongside the exit of Tosin, Fulham have sold midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich while Bobby De Cordova-Reid joined Leicester City on a free transfer.
(Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
