Fulham have been linked with a potential summer move for former Manchester City defender Jason Denayer.

What's the news?

According to a report from Football Insider, the Cottagers have been offered the chance to sign the centre-back as a free agent following his exit from Lyon at the end of last season.

After spending five years at the Etihad Stadium, during which he had loan spells at clubs such as Celtic, Sunderland and two at Galatasaray, the Belgian joined Lyon in the summer of 2018.

During his four years in France, the 27-year-old ended up making 137 appearances for Lyon across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals along the way.

Silva would love him

Even though he only made 15 Ligue 1 appearances last season, Denayer still showcased his defensive talent by making 45 clearances in total, leaving only five other Lyon players with more.

This ultimately left him with the highest average for clearances per game (3.2) in the squad out of players to make more than two league appearances.

That average would put him second for the same statistic in Fulham's squad for last season, leaving only Tosin Adarabioyo (3.6) above him.

The season prior saw the former City defender make 31 league appearances and end up with more blocks (69) and the second-highest number of clearances (121) at Lyon, further highlighting how imperious he can be at the back.

Hailed as a "powerful" player by Lyon recruitment chief Florian Maurice, Denayer would certainly provide Marco Silva with an additional defensive option in Fulham's squad who has shown that he has what it takes to be a solid centre-back at one of Europe's top clubs.

Given the clear talent that the Belgian has and the fact that he could be signed on a free transfer, this is a potential deal that the Cottagers should be all over, as it would surely give Silva a boost in terms of the defensive strength and depth in his squad.

Also, with the opportunity to finally make a name for himself in the Premier League after not making a single senior appearance for City, it could be safe to assume that a move back to England could be very tempting for the player.

Taking all this into account, securing a deal for the €6m-rated (£5m) defender would surely have the Fulham manager buzzing and boost the club's chances of avoiding relegation.