Ricardo Pepi reportedly passed a medical in west London as Fulham reopened talks over a transfer worth more than 30 million pounds. The move has not been completed, and Fulham’s hesitation centers on the kind of clause it wants before the summer window opens.
Fulham and Pepi
The 23-year-old forward has become a central attacking figure, with 19 league goals in the 2025/26 season and 38 international appearances with 13 goals for the United States. He was also named in Mauricio Pochettino’s 26-player squad and played in the 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Ángeles on 12 June.
Pepi’s route to this point has been direct. He left FC Dallas for Augsburg in January 2022, then scored 13 goals during a loan spell at Groningen in the 2022-23 season. At PSV Eindhoven, he has produced 45 goals in 102 appearances and won the Eredivisie three times.
West London talks
Fulham’s need is clear enough from the timing. Raúl Jiménez left after his contract ended and returned to Wolves as a free agent, leaving a gap Fulham tried to fill by reopening negotiations for Pepi. The valuation discussed sat above 30 million pounds, or 40 million dollars, which puts the deal in a bracket where the structure matters as much as the fee.
That is where the deal slowed. Fulham wanted an opt-out clause before the summer window opened and stepped back from the understanding even after Pepi’s medical and the reported valuation. For the player, the next step is not about form or fitness; it is whether Fulham and Pepi can settle the clause that kept the move from moving straight through.
PSV and World Cup 2026
The transfer also reaches beyond club business. Pepi remains a relevant attacker for Europe and for the United States, and his scoring record at PSV and in the Eredivisie is the reason a fee above 30 million pounds is being discussed at all. If Fulham revisits the structure, the deal becomes one of fit and timing rather than talent.
For now, the medical in west London says the player side has moved. The unresolved piece is Fulham’s requested opt-out clause, and that is the detail that still decides whether Pepi heads to the Premier League or stays at PSV.
