Fulham exploring move for Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos

Fulham have enquired about Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos ahead of a potential move this summer.

Lucas Ocampos, 28, had a tough time on loan at Ajax as he managed only four appearances during the first half of the last season. He returned to Sevilla in January and quickly became a mainstay in Jose Mendilibar’s plans, helping them avoid relegation from La Liga as well as winning the Europa League for the record seventh time.

The Argentinean international is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Sevilla, with a new deal yet to be agreed. Ocampos’ situation at the Spanish club has reportedly alerted Fulham, with manager Marco Silva keen to build on an impressive last season.

Silva’s side defined expectations upon their automatic promotion to the Premier League, finishing an impressive 10th in the table. The Fulham boss knows his squad will need reinforcing to compete for another top-half finish in the Premier League.

Lucas Ocampos could be an excellent signing for Fulham

Since joining Sevilla from Marseille in 2019, Lucas Ocampos has racked up 39 goals and 17 assists in 161 appearances so far. He played a key role in Sevilla’s latest Europa League triumph in Budapest, Hungary, playing the full 120 minutes and scoring the first penalty in the shootout as Jose Mendilibar’s side beat AS Roma.

A left-winger by trade, the Argentinean international’s flexibility allows him to operate on the right as well as through the middle with ease—and this could benefit Marco Silva’s Fulham a lot. He would add goals and assists from wide areas, whilst competing with the likes of Willian, Bobby Reid and Harry Wilson.

The Cottagers were hugely dependent on Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal last term. After Mitrovic was slapped with an eight-match ban for elbowing referee Chris Kavanagh against Manchester United in the FA Cup, Silva’s side fell off from challenging for a European spot to finish tenth in the table. Thus, Silva is right in wanting more goals from other attacking players in an attempt to reduce Mitrovic’s workload.

Signing Ocampos, in that regard, makes complete sense. The ex-Marseille man’s ability to score, as well as create goals and opportunities on a consistent basis, would make him a constant threat from Fulham’s wide areas. And as he is about to enter the final year of his contract in Sevilla, Fulham must not let such a great opportunity slip away from their hands and go all out for Ocampos’ signature.