Fulham are preparing an ambitious move for Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, according to several reports.
Fulham lost out on the services of Danny Murphy, with the ex-England international signing for Blackburn Rovers on a two-year deal. Fulham manager Martin Jol sees Ramsey as the perfect replacement and is readying a £5.5 million ($8.5 million) bid.
Ramsey had a difficult campaign last season, losing form in the second half of the season. The Welsh international, who joined Arsenal from Cardiff, was also booed by a small section of fans at the Emirates stadium.
However, it is highly unlikely Arsene Wenger will let Ramsey leave the Gunners, with the French manager a huge fan of the midfielder's talents. Ramsey, along with Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is seen as the future of Arsenal and the chances of Ramsey leaving the Emirates on a permanent deal are extremely low.
The fee quoted also might be a little on the lower side, with British players generally coming at a much higher premium. Ramsey was recently made the captain of the Wales team and is tipped to have a brilliant future ahead of him.
The only concern is if Ramsey has fully recovered mentally from the horrible leg-break he suffered a couple of years ago against Stoke City. Fulham might succeed with a loan bid at best, but a permanent one is highly unlikely.
The 21-year-old had a good start to last season, running the Arsenal midfield in the absence of Wilshire and after the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. His form tailed off in the latter half, after Mikel Arteta settled in and Tomas Rosicky found his form.
Ramsey is still far from the finished article, and the more experience he gets, the better he is going to be, because the talent is undoubtedly there.
However, any thoughts about Arsene Wenger letting one of his protégés go, might very well be well off the mark. Wenger has set out on strengthening Arsenal this season, and has already captured Lukas Podolski with Olivier Giroud's arrival imminent.
Yann M'Vila is also understood to be on his way, making Arsenal's squad a lot deeper than last season.
