Fulham have secured a record £30 million transfer fee for Northern Ireland midfielder Charles.

Premier League club Fulham has reached an agreement with Southampton to sign 22-year-old Northern Irish midfielder Shea Charles for a transfer fee of up to £30 million.

After passing a routine medical examination, Charles will sign a five-year long-term contract with Fulham, which will officially make him surpass his predecessors to become the most valuable Northern Irish player in professional football history.

Charles, who came through Manchester City's youth academy, had previously attracted close attention from clubs such as Leeds United, but he ultimately chose to join the West London team to fill the midfield void left by Sasha Lukic's transfer to Ipswich Town last week.

This is Fulham's third major signing since new manager Álvaro Arbeloa took over. Former manager Marco Silva left to coach Benfica, and Arbeloa, who previously managed Real Madrid in the second half of last season, took over as Fulham manager.

Before securing Charles, Arbeloa had already successfully facilitated the signings of two strong reinforcements from Real Madrid: striker Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios.

Fulham are currently fully engaged in pre-season preparations. The team will travel to Malaga this Wednesday for an away training camp and plans to host Bundesliga side Stuttgart on August 15. With their squad reinforcements gradually arriving, Fulham will host their city rivals Chelsea in the opening match of the new Premier League season on August 24.

Image source: Internet/BBC official website