Aleksandar Mitrovic secures record transfer to Al Hilal from Fullham

Fulham announced the departure of their star striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, to Saudi Pro League's Al Hilal for a club record transfer fee.

This decision comes after Mitrovic, who has been with Fulham since January 2018, clearly expressed his intent to exit the club on multiple occasions.

Initially joining the team on loan, the Serbian international made the move permanent by the summer of that year.

In the 2021/22 Championship title-winning season, he achieved an impressive record by scoring 43 goals, setting a new benchmark for the most goals in a 46-game English league season.

Addressing the transfer during a post-match press conference, Fulham's manager, Marco Silva, stated: "He was not in the squad because he did not train with the team - he got injured in the last game. About his future, he's on his way to leave the club. I got information before the match and now the confirmation from the club after the match that he's on his way to leave the club. Both clubs got an agreement."

Silva was candid about his feelings on Mitrovic's approach to the transfer, noting, "As you know, he forced everything to leave the club. He wanted to leave the club. Until the moment we had a financial agreement, we kept him in our football club. They have reached an agreement and now is the moment for us to keep playing and working with our team."

He also touched upon the broader challenges faced by the team, saying, "Not just the situation of Mitrovic, our pre-season was not where it should be on many aspects. That will not be an excuse for anything. The Premier League has started, I'm not here to find excuses, just that I would like it to not happen again in the future."

Despite the visible friction, Silva highlighted the enduring professional relationship between the two, "What I want to say to him I already did. We are going to speak tomorrow and in two days' time because our relationship is there forever."

With Mitrovic's departure, Silva shed light on the team's forward-looking strategy, "We have to find the right player to replace him. If not, we're going to face the Premier League with the players we have here. If you are going to ask me if we're going to invest? 100 per cent sure we are. If it's just in one player? No. We have to invest in more."

Mitrovic's departure closely follows the high-profile move of Neymar to Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, continueing a trend of top-tier players opting for the Saudi Pro League.