Fulham close in on Cook
LEE COOK is on the verge of joining Fulham for £1.5 million.
The QPR winger has told the club in the last 48 hours that he wants to leave Loftus Road and Rangers are today expecting a formal bid. The fee could rise to as high as £4m, depending on appearances and Fulham’s future success.
Rangers chairman Gianni Paladini needs the fee to help service a £10m loan. The reality is that £1.5m is likely to be all QPR receive from the deal and 25 per cent of that will go to the 24-year-old’s former club, Watford.
Paladini said this week: “Fulham have been back to ask for Lee but they have made little improvement on their original offer.
“I told them that if they have £6m to spend on Diomansy Kamara from West Brom then they need to find a bit more for Cook.” The sale means Rangers will now step up their effort to sign Chelsea’s Scott Sinclair on a six-month loan deal
ahead of Plymouth and Crystal Palace.
Fulham have also made a last-ditch attempt to sign Chris Baird from Southampton, and it will be left to the player to decide where he will start next season.
Baird looked set for a £3m move to Sunderland, but Fulham have now matched their offer. The defender has been chased by Cottagers boss Lawrie Sanchez all summer, and Southampton rejected their last bid of £2.5m.
Baird had talks at the Stadium of Light last Friday and a move seemed imminent. But Sanchez has made one final push to sign Baird, and the Northern Ireland international is expected to make a decision in the next 24 hours.