Fulham set to land Tomas Sivok

According to Spanish newspaper, Marca, Fulham are leading the chase to acquire the signature of current free agent, Tomas Sivok.

Sivok, a centre back, has attracted a lot of interest over the course of this summer after his contract at Turkish side Beisktas expired. Sevilla was expected to be his preferred destination after the Spanish side kept tabs on the Czech Republic international while at Euro 2012, but Marca now strongly suggests Martin Jol holds the upper hand.

Roughly translated, they said: 'In the last few hours, it has become unlikely that [Sivok] will join [Sevilla], as Fulham are making a strong bid for him.'

The paper goes on to cite financial restrictions for the reasons behind Sivok's eventual decision, stating that Fulham have extra funds that Sevilla cannot offer.

Only a few days ago, though, the outlook was entirely different. The player's agent, Jiri Mueller, claimed that Besiktas were also entering the fray as they sought to retain one of their most influential players, alongside Sevilla and an un-named Premier League club - most probably, Fulham.

"We have opened official talks with Sevilla and would like to have things sorted out as soon as possible," said Mueller

"We also have registered interest from a club in the Premier League and Besiktas have come back into the race as they want to keep Tomas."

With 30 caps to his name and with no fee attached to the deal, this could well prove an astute piece of business.