Fulham keen to retain Adarabioyo but Newcastle eyes free transfer

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo continues to be linked with a summer move to St James' Park as a free agent

Fulham boss Marco Silva has previously outlined the importance Tosin Adarabioyo has to his plans amid links with Newcastle United.

The Magpies are being linked with a move for the Fulham centre-back ahead of the summer transfer window. Adarabioyo's contract at Craven Cottage is due to expire at the end of the season, meaning he is free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside England.

In order for Newcastle to make a move to sign Adarabioyo, the club would need to wait until he becomes a free agent this summer.

A report in The Telegraph has claimed that Newcastle are exploring the possibility of signing the defender on a free transfer this summer as Eddie Howe looks to strengthen his centre-back options.

Adarabioyo has been heavily linked with a move away from Craven Cottage ever since he entered the final six months of his contract. The defender signed for Fulham from Manchester City in 2020 and he has since made 131 appearances for the West London club.

Silva has previously been asked about Adarabioyo's future at Fulham, and whether or not the club are determined to keep the defender beyond this season. In March the Fulham boss was asked about Adarabioyo's future as well as Kenny Tete and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, who are also out of contract this summer.

 “With Kenny we have an option in his contract," Silva told reporters in March, via The Athletic. "We keep speaking with his agent. But the option is there any time we want to trigger it.

“That’s a different situation than the other two [Adarabioyo and De Cordova-Reid] who are at the end of their contracts. The reality, and what I can to you now, we are speaking with them and their agents.

"What we try to is to have them with us. Our ambition, and what we want, is to have them with us again next season.”