Fulham agree £30m fee for Southampton's Charles

Fulham have agreed a deal worth up to £30m for Southampton midfielder Shea Charles.

Subject to a medical, the 22-year-old will move to Craven Cottage on a five-year contract and become the most expensive Northern Irish footballer of all time.

Charles, who started his career at Manchester City , also attracted interest from Leeds United but has opted to move to west London to replace Sasa Lukic following his move to Ipswich Town last week.

He becomes Fulham 's third signing since the appointment of new manager Alvaro Arbeloa after his spell leading Real Madrid on an interim basis during the second half of last season.

Arbeloa's arrival - following the departure of Marco Silva to take charge of Benfica - has led Fulham to sign two players from Madrid, striker Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios, before the capture of Charles.

The Cottagers face German club Stuttgart on Saturday, 15 August, before travelling to Stamford Bridge to take on rivals Chelsea on Monday, 24 August, in their Premier League opener.