Ireland: Shea Charles to Sign Five-year Fulham Contract in £30M Deal

Fulham have agreed to pay an initial fee of £26m for Charles, with a further £4m in performance-related add-ons. The 22-year-old, who was a breakout star of last season's Championship, is expected to complete his move to Craven Cottage once a medical and legal formalities are finalised. The size of the fee is believed to have deterred interest from Leeds United.

Charles played over 2,000 minutes in the Championship last season as Southampton reached the playoffs, though he was later excluded from the squad following revelations of spying against opponents. At Fulham, he will be expected to anchor the midfield following the sale of Sasa Lukic to Ipswich earlier this weekend. In a separate move, Trevoh Chalobah has left Chelsea to join Como in a £25.7m deal.