Youngster Pedro Martelo is worth a gamble for Fulham during January window

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After a summer of expensive gambles in the transfer market, Fulham are looking to make a cut-price bid for Deportivo’s teenage striker Pedro Martelo, according to the Daily Mail.

The report claims the 19-year-old’s current buyout clause is £903,000, which is in stark contrast to some of the lavish spending that went on at Craven Cottage following promotion from the Championship.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is always going to be the main striker at the Cottage this season, so recruiting alternatives is always going to be a difficult task.

That’s why going for a promising young hotshot who was part of the Portugal under 19 side that won last summer’s European Championship makes sense, especially at a low price, with his contract expiring in the summer.

It is at the other end where Fulham need to do the bulk of their improving but if Martelo can strike up a rapport with fellow teenager Ryan Sessegnon at the Cottage, then it could provide that extra burst of firepower to haul them to safety.

Ranieri needs to reserve the majority of his funds for defensive improvement, so a low-risk, low-cost gamble up top – where Mitrovic, Aboubakar Kamara and Luciano Vietto are all currently options – is a wise move.