Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is undergoing a medical at Fulham and is closing in on a reunion with manager Martin Jol.
Jol gave Berbatov his big break in the Premier League when he signed him for Tottenham in 2006 and the Dutchman is banking on his former player taking a wage cut to join the Cottagers.
The Bulgarian international is reported to receive £100,000-a-week at United, a figure way beyond what Fulham can afford to pay. But with Moussa Dembele gone to Spurs and Clint Dempsey also likely to leave Fulham, there is money available.
Jol said: "Of course you have to pay good players good money but I think we have made steps over the last few years and there have been many clubs interested in Dimitar.
"Maybe you saw a few things on the internet, they all tried to get him but we were able and capable of getting him. Hopefully everything is good and that means we are doing the business.''
If the deal, believed to be worth around £5 million, is completed without any issues, Jol hopes to include the Bulgarian in his squad for Saturday's trip to West Ham.
Berbatov was heavily linked with a move to Serie A with Fiorentina and Juventus both interested, but the 31-year-old is eager to remain in England for family reasons.
The former Bayer Leverkusen striker joined United from Spurs for £30 million in 2008, but has since slipped behind Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez in the pecking order at Old Trafford.
Berbatov's arrival may not be the end of Jol's transfer dealings before the transfer window closes on Friday.
The 56-year-old confirmed talks are still ongoing with Sunderland over a potential deal for Kieran Richardson while other targets also remain on Jol's wish-list.
"We are talking to him and hopefully he will come to us," he said of Richardson. "We are working on more players, we lost eight players and three players came in."
By ESPN staff
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