Fulham have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Matt Grimes to Craven Cottage this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that Marco Silva's side have seen a second bid, believed to be in the region of £2.5m, for the Swansea City central midfielder rejected.

The report goes on to state that, at present, it appears unclear whether the Cottagers will return with a third offer for the 26-year-old in the coming days, while also suggesting that Fulham will be aware the Swans are in a difficult position regarding the former England U21 international, as he has just one year remaining on his current contract at the Liberty Stadium.

Silva will be gutted

Following Fabrizio Romano's claim that Andre Zambo Anguissa looks set to join Napoli in the coming hours, the fact that Fulham have seen their offer rejected for a player who could well be Silva's replacement for the Cameroon international is sure to have left the Portuguese manager gutted.

It is easy to see why Silva seems to be so keen on the Swansea City captain, as the 26-year-old would very much appear to make a fantastic addition to his Fulham side, something his form from last season illustrates perfectly.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances for the Swans last term, the £6.3m-rated man scored two goals, provided three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The man Steve Cooper dubbed an "excellent" player also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 1.3 clearances and winning 5.3 duels in each league fixture.

These returns saw the £10k-per-week midfielder earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as his side's fifth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is clear to see that a deal for Grimes would be a fantastic transfer for Fulham to get over the line this summer, particularly following the news that Anguissa could be on his way out of west London by the end of the day.

However, with Swansea standing firm on their demands for the 26-year-old at present, Silva will have to weigh up whether or not he can afford to go back with an improved offer for the central midfielder in the coming days.

In other news: Get him gone: Silva must ruthlessly axe Fulham's "valuable" £24k-p/w Jokanovic flop