Charlotte FC is in advanced talks with Fulham over a move for USMNT defender Tim Ream.
A deal is not yet done for the 36-year-old, whose Fulham contract is set to expire in 2025.
TopBin90 first reported the talks.
Ream joined Fulham from Bolton Wanderers in 2015 and has made 312 appearances during his nine years with the club.
The defender was regular in the Fulham team during the first half of the season, captaining the side as he started 12 of their first 13 Premier League matches.
However, he was sidelined with a calf injury in December and featured just five times in the league during the second half of the campaign, with Tosin Adarabioyo and Calvin Bassey Marco Silva’s preferred central defensive partnership.
Silva said ahead of the summer that Fulham would be seeking to sign two new centre-backs during the window. Right centre-back is a priority, with Tosin leaving the club on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract.
A departure for Ream alongside Tosin would see the first-choice centre-back pairing for the majority of Silva’s Fulham tenure leave the club in the same window. The pair played important roles as Fulham were promoted back to the Premier League in 2021-22 and helped them re-establish themselves in the top flight the following season.
Ream, capped 56 times by the USMNT, started all four games at the 2022 Qatar World Cup and was named in May’s training camp roster ahead of this summer’s Copa America.
Charlotte has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2024 season under Dean Smith. The club sits fifth in the Eastern Conference with 25 points after 17 matches and have one of the best defensive records in the league with just 18 goals conceded
GO DEEPER
Tim Ream – the USMNT defender who is relatable, resilient and a rock for Fulham
‘Ream has adapted and thrived across difficult years for Fulham’
Analysis from The Athletic’s Fulham correspondent Peter Rutzler
The departure of Tim Ream would mark the end of an era for Fulham.
In their Premier League years, the west London club have regularly welcomed American representation. From the first in Marcus Hahnemann in 1999 to the exploits of Brian McBride and Clint Dempsey in the Mohamed Al Fayed years, there has always been a USMNT connection.
Ream stands among the modern greats.
The Missouri native made his 300th appearance for the club earlier this season, a milestone nine seasons in the making. He was the first player to make 300 appearances for the club since Simon Morgan 26 years ago. Morgan played for the club in the 1990s, adapting and thriving to play for the club across difficult years and then kept his place as the team rose through the leagues.
Ream has previously spoken about how a player wants to make a mark when they sign for a new club, without necessarily thinking about time or accumulating appearances. The central defender has not always been a first choice but that has not changed his character and that sticks with supporters. He has enjoyed standout moments — the two play-off finals, a Championship title under Marco Silva and then his Premier League rejuvenation.
But his off-field influence has resonated too, becoming a leader by example and an ambassador for the club away from the pitch.
His presence would be sorely missed. For Fulham, there would be a changing of the guard, with his most recent defensive partner, Tosin Adarabioyo, also departing this summer.
GO DEEPER
Tim Ream interview: ‘We knew what everybody was going to say about us’
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Read the full article here