Sutton United striker Stefan Payne will sign a two-year contract with Premier League Fulham on Monday after MRI scan results gave him the all clear to make the dream move, according to boss Paul Doswell.
The 18-year-old, a summer signing from Croydon FC, had denied knowledge of the £25,000 move to Craven Cottage earlier in the week after rumours of the deal surfaced at the weekend.
Doswell had been working on the transfer – along with club chairman Bruce Elliott – for the past fortnight since the youngster netted his sixth goal of the campaign against Wealdstone last month.
Payne, who will be loaned back to Sutton until January under the terms of the agreement, was at Fulham’s training ground for a second medical on Monday and was ordered back for further tests on Tuesday - leaving a nervous wait for the youngster.
The deal was given the green light late on Wednesday and Doswell is in two minds as to whether he will play in this weekend’s FA Cup trip to Margate, but insists playing won’t affect his future.
“Fulham tend to do more than just a straight medical. The latest scan came back all clear which is great news,” said Doswell.
“The Fulham chief executive rang us late on Wednesday to say the deal will be done when the club secretary gets back next week.
“It will definitely go through unless Stefan falls under a bus over the weekend. As of Monday Stefan will be a Fulham player, training full-time with them and playing for us.
“The likelihood is he will play against Margate on Saturday, but that is a call I’m going to have to make.”
Sutton could land a hefty six-figure sum should Payne go on to establish himself in Roy Hodgson’s first team, which could make the deal the biggest in recent non-League history.
It has been a rapid rise for the youngster, who starred for Croydon against Sutton in the Surrey Youth Cup final last season before being given his chance in senior football at Gander Green Lane.
He grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick on the opening day of the new Ryman League Premier Division season and has not looked back since.
And Doswell reckons it is a sign young players can get their professional careers on track at United – including former starlet Jerson Dos Santos, who is now playing his trade with Woking reserves.
“Because of our close proximity to London, we often get a lot of scouts coming to our games and, since the Wealdstone game, all I have dealt with is phone calls about Stefan,” he added.
“We have changed our strategy in terms of signing young players and we are giving players opportunities at a decent level of football.
“There are not many clubs at this level who would stick a 17-year-old in the first team and that is what we are about.
“If I could get hold of Jerson now, I could turn his career around. People do watch this level and are ready to take a punt on players.”
Sutton’s next three fixtures: Sept 12 Margate (FAC, a), 19 Tonbridge Angels (a), 22 Dartford (h).
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