Brighton Rejects Second Bid for Lewis Dunk

After an early focus on adding to the midfield in the Summer transfer window, Fulham is shifting to mending their defense, a unit that struggled mightily last season. One player Chief Football Officer Mike Rigg has targeted is young English center back Lewis Dunk from Brighton, although the seaside club isn't budging.

Here is what HITC Sport had to say about the offer:

Dunk is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the country after catching the eye for Brighton last season with a number of stellar performances.

A host of Premier League and Championship clubs are thought to be interested in Dunk, but Fulham are hoping to steal a march on their rivals by luring him to Craven Cottage.

Fulham are understood to have increased their offer to £3 million after seeing a £2.5 million bid for Dunk rejected last month

Dunk is a desirable signing to many teams for multiple reasons. Firstly, he's only 23 years old. Combine that with a high ceiling and you have an exciting center back to insert into your squad. Secondly, he's a towering figure standing at 1.93 m (6'4"), meaning he rules the airspace in the box, even on the offensive end having headed in 4 of his 5 goals last season. If you look at him from a ratings perspective, he was quite impressive for the Seagulls. WhoScored rated him as the 8th best overall player in the Championship last season, and Squawka rated him as the 6th best in the league.

I would have no problem if Fulham decides to submit an improved third bid. We desperately need better quality at center back and Lewis is sure to provide that. Everyone has a price, and if Dunk's falls within a just amount, I say we go after him even if it means we slightly overpay.