Fulham and Fenerbahce Set to Compete for January Signing of Out of Favour Liverpool Star

New Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri is reportedly eyeing up a January move for Liverpool central defender Joel Matip. 

The Liverpool man has lost the favour of his manager this season, and Turkish side Fenerbahce believed they were leading the race for the Cameroonian, however reports suggest that a move to Turkey are now in doubt. 

A Spor report that Ranieri will try and lure the former Schalke man to Craven Cottage in January. Matip - who still has two years to run on his current ​Liverpool deal - has struggled for game time this campaign, having started just one Premier League match. 

With Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren all currently above Matip in the pecking order, his chances have been limited. The Cameroonian would likely slot into the Fulham first team as central defenders Tim Ream and Maxime Le Marchand, as well as the on loan Calum Chambers and Timothy Fosu-Mensah, have underwhelmed.

​Fulham have been desperately poor defensively this campaign, as they currently sit rock-bottom of the Premier League having conceded a staggering 31 goals in just 12 matches. 

Despite spending almost £100m on 12 new players in the summer, only five of their recruits had played in the Premier League, which has proved vital for promoted clubs throughout history. If Ranieri were able to sign Matip, it would be reverting to the tried and trusted method of signing experience - after Fulham's muddled summer window.

Looking back to the season of Leicester's incredible 5000/1 title win, the former Leicester boss liked to have experience in the heart of his defence. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were stalwarts of that side and the Italian got them playing levels above what the pair had previously produced.

The 'Tinkerman' will be aiming to achieve similar results with Matip if indeed the transfer does go through.

Source : 90min