Ryan Sessegnon wants to stay at Fulham after Premier League promotion, says Slavisa Jokanovic

Ryan Sessegnon wants to stay at Fulham after earning promotion to the Premier League, according to his manager Slavisa Jokanovic.

Sessegnon is the target of interest from a host of Europe’s top sides, with Tottenham at the front of a queue that includes Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

The 18-year-old, who was named the Championship player of the season after scoring 15 goals and providing six assists for Fulham, has made no secret of his desire to play in the top flight but ensured he can do so with the side he joined at eight years of age by laying on Tom Cairney’s winner as the Cottagers beat Aston Villa 1-0 in Saturday’s play-off final.

Promotion may not be enough to quell speculation around Sessegnon’s future but it has certainly put his manager’s mind to rest.

“What I know about him is he’s really happy where he is now,” Jokanovic said. “I’m satisfied and happy with him.

“I cannot give you a complete guarantee. What I prefer to say is I know he wants to stay with us.”

Victory over Villa was the culmination of a remarkable second half of the season for Fulham. Having begun the campaign among the favourites for promotion they struggled to overcome the hangover from a play-off semi-final defeat to Reading and, coupled with a knee injury to Cairney, found themselves marooned in 17th position in late November.

A decisive January transfer window helped draw them back into contention, with the recruitment of Newcastle loanee Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 12 goals in 19 games, and left-back Matt Targett particularly important components in the Cottagers’ promotion march.

Jokanovic wants to see a similarly ambitious approach to Fulham’s summer business and the addition of more players with experience of the top flight to establish a secure berth for his side.

He told Standard Sport: “Can we do more than just fight against relegation? It depends on what kind of ambition we show.

“This is simple. Next year in the Premier League we need to be brave, to make investment and spend money to survive or to make more important steps. It’s not complicated.

"It’s a different level and we must push ourselves. These players deserve credit, they’ve done a fantastic job. Many of these players will be Premier League players next season because they deserve it.

“But we must be serious enough to know we must be more aggressive and show more desire. [We need] players who know what it’s like to play at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.”