Bernd Leno has finally sealed his transfer across London from Arsenal to newly-promoted Fulham.
The protracted deal was officially announced on Tuesday night, with the German goalkeeper, 30, signing an initial three-year contract at Craven Cottage that includes a club option for a further 12 months beyond that.
Standard Sport understands that the agreement for Leno could be worth up to £8million, with £3m up front and a further £1m based on Premier League appearances.
Arsenal would receive a further £2m if Fulham manage to avoid relegation this season, and an additional £2m if they can do the same again in 2023/24.
“It feels amazing to finally be here. I can’t wait to join the team, to train and play with the team,” Leno told FFCtv. “I’m relieved that everything is done. I’m just happy to be here. It took a little bit of time but in the end we made it, and that’s the most important thing.”
Leno will be expected to replace Marek Rodak as first-choice between the posts under Marco Silva, with former Tottenham ‘keeper Paulo Gazzaniga also on the books.
The 30-year-old becomes Fulham’s fifth arrival of a difficult summer window that has frequently frustrated their manager and led to major doubts over their ability to buck the relegation/promotion trend of recent years, following the signings of Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira, Kevin Mbabu and Manor Solomon.
Leno had become surplus to requirements at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, replaced as No1 by Aaron Ramsdale last season following an initial battle with Emiliano Martinez and with American international Matt Turner now arriving from Major League Soccer (MLS) side New England Revolution to act as chief deputy.
Switching up to West London. 😏#SPLENDID | #FFC pic.twitter.com/KQRXfEPWFP
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 2, 2022
Fellow goalkeeper Alex Runarsson is also expected to leave before the September 1 transfer deadline amid interest from Turkey, where Lucas Torreira is also heading as he closes in on a £7.5m switch to Galatasaray.
Arsenal also hope to offload the likes of Hector Bellerin and Pablo Mari in the coming weeks, while striker Folarin Balogun has agreed to join French outfit Reims on loan.
