Fulham chase £3m Sikora

Fulham were today competing with Ajax to sign Dutch winger Victor Sikora from Vitesse Arnhem.

Chairman Mohamed Fayed is prepared to pay around £3 million for the 24-year-old who won his first international cap for Holland last year.

Talks are already at an advanced stage and there will be added pressure for Fulham to complete the deal after last season's goalscoring problems returned in their 0-0 draw against Finland's FC Haka in their InterToto Cup second round first-leg tie.

Sikora has been compared to former Arsenal winger Marc Overmars. They have already turned down one bid from giants Ajax but have had to sell other players over the summer to balance their books and have said publicly they will sell to the highest bidder.

If Fulham buy Sikora he is likely to become the club's first signing since Franco Baresi arrived last month to advise on transfers - although the on-off move for former Italy international Antonio Benarrivo appears to be dead.

Disagreements over wage demands and concerns over the 33-year-old's fitness prevented the free transfer being completed but Benarrivo's agent, Federico Pastorello, claimed his player was badly treated.

He admitted negotiations had not been smooth but said an agreement was finally reached and claimed Fulham went back on it as the defender was on his way to London.

Pastorello said: "The club have acted in an amateurish way.

"Antonio feels hurt because he has not been treated like this before. He was so excited about joining the club."