Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan has confirmed the club “have to consider” sensible offers for Joao Palhinha but hopes the midfielder will stay at Craven Cottage.
The Portugal international was on the verge of joining Bayern Munich last summer but has since signed a new contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2028, with the option of an extra 12 months.
However, the 28-year-old has remained the source of transfer speculation and has attracted the interest of rival Premier League clubs.
The defensive midfielder led the Premier League in tackles last campaign and is on course to repeat that feat this season, and Khan is well aware top clubs are increasingly attuned to the 28-year-old's talent.
Khan told talkSPORT: "He's a huge part of the core fold, and we love having him here and we want him part of the team as long as possible, we were very happy to extend his contract.
"If an offer came along and it made sense for everyone, I think that's something you have to consider with every player at the right time.
"We want to keep him and we have kept him. He's been staying with us and there's a lot of demand. There's now a huge market for Joao Palhinha. Now, eyes have opened."
Palhinha first arrived at Fulham in July 2022, and netted four goals in his first Cottagers campaign alongside his impressive tackle tally, finishing the season with 48 more than runner-up Moises Caicedo.
Khan reiterated his wish for the former Sporting Lisbon player to remain in west London "as long as possible" before adding: "But it's a thing in the business, it's part of the business, any time you sign a player you know you're going to grow your value, and that might mean people are going to hopefully come in.
"It's an exciting part of the industry but certainly Joao is essential to our team and we love having him at Fulham."
