PSV has rejected a bid from Fulham for U.S. national team striker Ricardo Pepi worth around £26million (€30m; $35m), sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic.

Another bid from Fulham is expected, sources add. Fulham is not the only team interested in Pepi for a potential January transfer. Fulham and PSV declined to comment when approached.

Pepi, who turns 23 next month, has had a consistent scoring record for PSV. He has 10 goals and two assists in all competitions this season across 957 minutes, after 18 goals in 1,132 minutes last season. For the USMNT, he has 13 goals in 34 caps.

Pepi signed a new contract with PSV in February, a deal that runs until June 2030.

Before PSV, Pepi excelled at fellow Dutch side FC Groningen on loan from German Bundesliga team FC Augsburg. He joined Augsburg in 2022 from FC Dallas after a breakout 2021 season for his boyhood club.

Fulham sit 10th in the Premier League with 26 points after 18 matches. Winger Harry Wilson is the club’s leading Premier League scorer with five goals, while Mexico international centre-forward Raul Jiménez, whose contract runs out in June, has four. The club also has Brazilian striker Rodrigo Muniz, who is currently injured, as another option at the position.

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What Pepi could bring to the Premier League

Analysis by data writer Thom Harris

Pepi has needed to be patient in European football, but the 34-time USMNT representative has been in red-hot form for Dutch champions PSV, averaging over a goal a game across all competitions this season.

After a promising breakout season for FC Dallas in MLS, Pepi joined German side Augsburg, but failed to score in any of his 16 appearances for the club. He then moved to Groningen, where his lively performances caught the eye of Peter Bosz’s high-flying PSV.

He had just turned 22 and was starting to hit his stride for his new side before a serious knee injury struck, ruling him out for six months. It means Pepi’s game-time is still fragmented as he continues his recovery, but that hasn’t stopped him scoring in five of his last six appearances, maintaining a record of 37 goals in 32 full games of action since joining the club.

Pepi’s goal catalogue is varied, a tall (1.85m; 6ft 1in), springy striker who can charge into space in behind. Though not the most prolific in the air, he sustains his healthy goalscoring form by arriving into the box for cut-backs and crosses, ensuring he makes a consistently clean connection with his right foot.

As we can see from his SkillCorner run profile below, he doesn’t shy away from dropping off to help with the build-up, a confident dribbler with quick feet, but focusses a large share of his off-ball movement towards getting into position to finish in case the ball drops in the penalty area.

At Fulham, Pepi would provide healthy competition up front with Jimenez and the returning Muniz. His athleticism and rangy running style ensure he will be a solid fit for the end-to-end style of the Premier League, while his sense of anticipation and finishing ability mean that he could hit the ground running.