Harry Wilson is being mentioned in the same breath is Erling Haaland on the back of his spectacular form at Fulham.
Yet as things stand, the Wales forward will be available on a free transfer in five months’ time.
Wilson told BBC Sport Wales last June that he was in talks over a new long-term deal at Craven Cottage.
As yet, nothing has been signed.
Given Wilson’s contribution so far this season, Fulham may be regretting the fact that a new agreement was not sorted some time ago, for the 28-year-old’s stock is rising by the week.
‘He is going to have the pick of clubs’
Wilson played a starring role as Fulham beat Chelsea on Wednesday, when his run in behind led to Marc Cucurella’s first-half red card.
He saw a goal ruled out by VAR, for Raul Jimenez being offside, before scoring the Cottagers’ winner nine minutes from time.
That was his seventh Premier League goal this season while he has also managed four assists, meaning this is already the most successful top-flight campaign of his career in terms of those numbers.
Of this season’s goal involvements, 10 have come since the beginning of November. Only Manchester City striker Haaland, with 12, has managed more in the Premier League during that period.
Wilson’s contribution led Danny Murphy to declare that he is “running out of superlatives for him” on BBC Match of the Day.
“He is so intelligent. He doesn’t rely on his physicality and pace as his movement is brilliant. In front of goal, he is so reliable and technically is such a good player,” the former Fulham and England midfielder added.
“His levels at the moment are ridiculously high and if he maintains that then he is going to have the pick of clubs because he is out of contract at the end of the season.”
Signed from Liverpool in 2021 on an initial four-year deal, Wilson is in his fifth season at Fulham after the London club took up an option to extend the contract by a year last summer.
“We are in talks for a new deal,” Wilson said at the time.
“The option was just in case a deal doesn’t get done. My main option would be to sign a new [longer] deal at Fulham and hopefully we can get to an agreement on that.”
For a time it seemed Wilson may bid farewell to Fulham early this season, with Leeds United making a move for the Wrexham-born player prior to the transfer deadline on 1 September.
Fulham boss Marco Silva insists he never wanted to lose Wilson despite Leeds’ interest.
“If you remember my first press conference after the summer window, you asked me about the Leeds offer,” Silva said after the Chelsea win.
“I told you straight away, I didn’t think one second about that. He is our player and he is so important for us.”
‘The best moment of his career, definitely’
Wilson’s most prolific season – to date – in Fulham colours was his first, when he scored 11 goals for a side who won the Championship title.
Since then, he has always been in the first-team picture but has not played as consistently as he might have liked.
In the three league campaigns before this one, he made a total of 89 top-flight appearances, but only 41 starts.
This season has been a different story, with Wilson featuring in 20 of Fulham’s 21 league games and starting 18 of them.
He scored twice in the first three months of the campaign, but his impact has grown since a hat-trick for Wales in the remarkable 7-1 win over North Macedonia in mid-November.
Wilson has long been considered a key man for Wales, particularly since Gareth Bale’s retirement three years ago, but now has similar status at Fulham.
“It is the best moment of his career, definitely,” Silva added.
“The numbers are top – incredible. I have to say that even in the last three seasons, not playing the same number of minutes, the numbers were always decent. [But] this season they have been much better.
“Right now everything that he touches becomes something magic and something that is going to have an impact. His season has been incredible and I am very pleased for him because he deserves it.”
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