Fulham are locked in talks with Josh King and his representatives as they close in on tying the teenager down to a long-term contract. But decisions on the futures of Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Carlos Vinicius are yet to be made, with all three out of contract in the summer unless the club activate options to extend their stays at Craven Cottage by a year.
18-year-old King, born in 2007, has been quickly promoted from the academy to the first team, making five appearances in the Premier League this season and being named in the squad for every match since November. The midfielder has impressed whenever he has been given first-team minutes by Marco Silva, which has also included appearances this season in the FA Cup (twice) and the Carabao Cup.
King has represented England at every age group from Under-15s to the Under-19s. The Fulham academy graduate signed his first professional contract in January 2024. “Yes, we are in conversations with him, with his agent, with his family as well,” Silva said about a new deal. “It’s not just important for us. I think it’s important for him, too.
“It’s a really important moment of his career. It’s the first big decision, probably, that he’s going to take and a big step that he’s going to take. “He knows how much the club the club trusts him. I won’t say ‘for a long time’, but conversations are already underway. Let’s hope we can have news as soon as we can.”.
Among a host of senior players out of contract in the summer, there are options in Traore, Jimenez and Vinicius’s contracts to keep them for a further year. While Traore and Jimenez have been part of Silva’s first-team plans this season, Vinicius has played just four minutes of action this term and has been transfer listed for some time. A move to Brazilian Serie A club Red Bull Bragantino broke down last summer.
“We have to wait,” said Silva. “It’s a decision that we [can take]. He’s not the only player that is [coming to] the end of his contract, and he’s not the only player where we have an option in his contract. Raul is the same, Adama the same, and some others the same.
“As you expect, we are working behind the scenes to prepare the future of the club. We haven’t decided some things yet — I think we have enough time to decide carefully. “With Carlos and with the others, not yet. We have the right timing to do it.”.
