Fulham make £8m breakthrough in Bernd Leno talks with Arsenal goalkeeper set for medical

Fulham have reached an agreement with Arsenal to sign goalkeeper Bernd Leno for around £8million.

Talks have been ongoing between the two London clubs for weeks with the Gunners ready to let their reserve shot-stopper go having signed Matt Turner.

A breakthrough over the transfer fee will allow Leno to undergo a medical this week with personal terms already in place.

The Cottagers have made four summer signings so far; Manor Solomon arriving on loan to join permanent additions Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira and Kevin Mbabu.

A deal for Malang Sarr has been blocked by Chelsea while the Blues seek a replacement for their defence while West Ham have also rejected an approach for Issa Diop.

Fulham boss Marco Silva has explained why his squad is not ready for their return to the Premier League ahead of facing Liverpool on the weekend.

He said: “I’m really happy with this group of players that we have. But everyone that understands football can see we need at least five or six more players.

“That is clear, if you really want to be competitive. These players need help to be competitive in the training sessions every single day.

“We cannot be five weeks into the pre-season with two central defenders. We can’t be competitive in this situation and I can talk more positions as well but this will not help at all.”