Bilbao stunned by Fulham swoop

Athletic Bilbao have been stunned to learn that Fernando Amorebieta will join Fulham on a free for less than they offered him to stay.



Fulham are understood to have agreed a four-year deal to bring the Venezuelan international defender to Craven Cottage in the summer.



The 28-year-old centre-back's contract with the Basque club expires in June and he decided against signing a new deal there to exercise his right to leave as a free agent.



Voz Populi claims today that Amorebieta turned down the chance to renew his contract with Athletic Bilbao for five more years on a contract worth €1.8 million per year - more than he has accepted to sign pre-contract terms with Fulham.



He broke off his relationship with his agent Gorka Arrinda, who had negotiated the new contract with Athletic, to instruct a British-based agency to find him a club in the Premier League.



The 6ft 4inch defender was also linked with a move to Arsenal during the January transfer window.

No regrets for Kacaniklic

Highly rated midfielder Alex Kacaniklic believes he made the right choice leaving Liverpool for Fulham.



The Sweden international will face his former manager Roy Hodgson, who sold him to Craven Cottage in August 2010, when his country host England on Wednesday.



But the 21-year-old, who has made a bright start to the English Premier League season, insists he is not out for revenge.



"I didn't speak to Roy Hodgson that much at Liverpool. I was only there for a month or two when he was manager," Kacaniklic told reporters.



"It was my decision to leave and go to Fulham and he let me go. It was up to me if I wanted to go.



"I had to move to develop my career. It has gone very well at Fulham and it feels like I made the right move and it was a good decision.



"I am not out for revenge. Like I said, it was my decision and Roy is a good coach. He's done a lot of good things in football and is well respected throughout the game."



Kacaniklic is also looking forward to the prospect of meeting Steven Gerrard again.



"When I was young I trained with the first-team squad at Liverpool, with people like Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard," he said.



"Steven was a great help, passing on good advice about things like passing. He is one of the players I look up to. It will be nice to meet him again and to get to 100 caps (as he is set to do on Wednesday) is a fantastic achievement."



The ex-Helsingborg youngster is delighted to have been a part of two recent impressive comebacks – a member of the Sweden side who came from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 against Germany in October and, on Saturday, a scorer in Fulham's 3-3 draw at Arsenal.



"Everything is going well for me at the moment and it was a fantastic feeling to score against Arsenal," Kacaniklic said.



"That was one of my biggest games so far – although I played in the 4-4 draw with Germany last month after we had trailed 4-0, which was also a pretty big game. I can't really explain what happened.



"The last few months have been a bit of a whirlwind but I am enjoying myself at the moment."

Fulham eye defender deal

Fulham are keen to tie defender Brede Hangeland down to a new deal before the January transfer window opens.



The Norwegian defender is out of contract at the end of the season and Fulham are eager to resolve the player's future.



Hangeland will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January if he does not agree new terms at Craven Cottage and Fulham are keen to prevent the 31-year-old from leaving as a free agent at the end of the campaign.



If the west Londoners fail to convince Hangeland to sign a new deal prior to the January transfer window it has been reported they will seek to sell the centre-half, rather than allow him to leave on a free transfer.



Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been credited with an interest in the past but it remains to be seen if the Old Trafford side will step up their interest in the new year.

Fulham sign Giorgos Karagounis

Fulham have signed Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis on a free transfer until the end of the season.



The 35-year-old midfielder was a free agent after leaving Panathinaikos at the end of the 2011-12 campaign - he made 380 appearances for the club in a couple of spells.



Karagounis was a member of the Greek team which won the 2004 European Championship in Portugal and he became their joint-highest capped player in June when he appeared for the 120th time during Euro 2012.



He said: "I'm delighted to have signed for Fulham and I am excited by a new challenge in England and the Barclays Premier League.



"I'm looking forward to working under Martin Jol and playing alongside some fantastic players at this club."



Jol said: "Giorgos has a wealth of club and international experience and I'm happy that he's joined us for this season.



"He's been an influential player for his club sides and is a renowned player in world football as he's about to become the most-capped player for Greece. He brings many certain qualities to our squad."

Dembele passes Spurs medical

Moussa Dembele is set to complete his move from Fulham to Tottenham after the forward passed his medical.



Both clubs confirmed they had reached an agreement over his transfer, with Fulham revealing he would sign at White Hart Lane for an undisclosed fee, which is believed to be around £15million.



And Dembele, who is viewed as a replacement for Luka Modric after his sale to Real Madrid, has now agreed personal terms with Spurs, although his contract length has not been revealed.



Tottenham on Wednesday said in a statement: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Fulham for the transfer of Moussa Dembele."



The 25-year-old's move is reported to be worth in the region of £15million and Fulham could likely look to reinvest the money before Friday's transfer deadline.



Dembele joined Fulham in the summer of 2010 in a £5million move from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar and has built a star reputation in that time.



Fulham said in a statement of their own: "The club can today confirm that it has reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur for the transfer of midfielder Moussa Dembele.



"The 25-year-old Belgian international has successfully completed a medical and will sign for an undisclosed fee.



"Following two full seasons at Craven Cottage, the club would like to thank Moussa for his contribution and wish him well throughout the rest of his career."