Fulham managed to bolster their defence recently by securing a season-long loan deal for Brighton & Hove Albion defender Shane Duffy.

Another Premier League defender the west London club look "set to sign" in the words of Fabrizio Romano is West Ham United's Issa Diop in a package worth £15m after a deal was agreed this morning.

Bearing in mind how current Fulham centre-back, Tim Ream, is currently the oldest player in the squad at the age of 34 and is set to see his contract expire next summer, Diop could be seen as an ideal long-term heir for the American.

The Hammers signed the Frenchman back in the 2018 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £22m from Toulouse.

Since then, the 25-year-old has gone on to make 119 appearances for the east London club across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and three assists along the way.

With 94 Premier League appearances under his belt, the defender certainly has the right experience to be able to come in and be an immediate useful asset for Fulham.

His debut season with West Ham saw Diop rack up more blocks (79) and interceptions (80) than any other Hammers player, as well as the second-highest number of clearances (164), which shows the defensive talent he has and why he'd be a big help for Marco Silva's side at the back.

In fact, the former Toulouse star even wowed Jose Mourinho for one of his performances against Manchester United, which led to the Portuguese manager describing him as a "monster" on the pitch.

This highlights how capable he is of playing in the top division and why he could be the difference between Fulham staying up or heading back to the Championship.

Taking into account how Ream ended the previous campaign with more interceptions (62) and the second-highest average for clearances per game (3) in the Fulham squad, it would certainly take someone with Diop's defensive ability to be a suitable long-term heir for the veteran at Craven Cottage.

With the Cottagers now agreeing a deal to sign the player, everyone associated with the London club should be delighted at acquiring some much-needed quality at the back.