Fulham agree loan for Chelsea striker Armando Broja - sources

Posted Friday, February 02, 2024 by ESPN

Fulham have agreed to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja on loan for the rest of the season, sources have told ESPN.

Fulham will pay a loan fee of £4 million ($5.1m) for the 22-year-old, who is set to undergo a medical tonight with all parties now confident a deal will be completed before the 11 p.m. UK time (6 p.m. ET) deadline. One source added that the loan fee would drop to zero if the Albania international makes 10 starts for Fulham.

Broja has been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and attracted interest from Wolves and West Ham, but all clubs were initially put off by Chelsea's insistence on both a permanent sale and a £50m ($63.7m) valuation.

Chelsea dropped their demands on deadline day morning by indicating they were willing to sanction a loan move but for a £5m fee ($6.4m), a figure which Fulham have subsequently negotiated down following extensive talks between the two clubs.

Armando Broja will be charged with improving Fulham's struggling attack.

Broja has scored just three goals in 38 appearances for Chelsea and has struggled to find his best form under Mauricio Pochettino. The Albania international missed six games in October and November due to a knee problem and hasn't scored since Chelsea's 4-0 FA Cup third-round win over Preston on Jan. 6.

Fulham have faltered in attack this season following Aleksandar Mitrovic's departure to Al Hilal in August. Marco Silva's side have scored just 28 times in 22 Premier League games -- only Manchester United (24) have netted fewer out of the teams in the top 13.