'Fulham may be forced to sell Rodrigo Muniz despite £32m Leeds snub'
Fulham may have rejected an offer from Leeds for Rodrigo Muniz but the club may still be forced to sell the Brazilian striker this summer.
Muniz deleted a cryptic tweet in May that read: "They will start to appreciate when I'm no longer here..." casting doubt on his future in West London.
But following that interest, Muniz's performances for Fulham regressed and Marco Silva leaned towards using Raul Jimenez as his starting number nine last season.
Despite featuring primarily from the bench last season, the Brazilian striker is still held in high regard, not only at Fulham, but in other quarters of the Premier League.
Leeds had a bid of £26million plus £6m in add-ons rejected for Muniz, but despite Fulham turning down the offer, they may still be forced into selling the striker, according to The Standard.
Fulham will struggle to reject big offer for Rodrigo Muniz
Despite scoring a staggering 95 goals in the Championship last season, Leeds' strikers underwhelmed and addressing the position became a priority for the summer transfer window.
But their £32m bid was rejected by the Cottagers, who are not keen to let go of Muniz if it can be avoided.
According to the report, the Brazilian is "considered by the Fulham board as one of the club's most valuable assets."
Despite starting just eight Premier League games last season, the Whites have no intention of selling Muniz.
However, the club may be forced to reconsider if "an offer too good to refuse arrives" for the 24-year-old.
Fulham likely to target a new striker this summer
Football Insider Verdict
Even if Muniz and Jimenez both remain at Craven Cottage this summer, Fulham are likely to target a new striker.
The position has been an issue since Aleksandar Mitrovic departed for Al-Hilal in 2023, and the club have not spent
Fulham have recently been linked with PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi, but the USA international has failed to prove himself in Europe's top-five leagues in previous stints and would likely join as a back-up.
The Whites recorded their highest-ever points total in the Premier League last season, but were outscored by teams like Wolves and Tottenham, who both finished several places below them.
Whilst Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo finished with 19 and 20 goals respectively for West London rivals Brentford, 34-year-old Jimenez was the Cottagers' top scorer with 12 goals in the league.