A £25m bid from Al-Hilal was dismissed by the Cottagers on Wednesday, but should they give more thought to letting their leading marksman leave?

We've taken a look at the case for and against selling Mitrovic.Image source, Getty Images

Goals

Bluntly, Mitrovic is the closest Fulham have to a guaranteed goal supply. After that record-breaking year in the Championship, he backed it up last season in style, scoring 14 goals in 24 games, including six in six to start the season.

He experienced a dry run between the middle of January and the middle of March before his suspension, but finished the season with three in three.

Such a prolific scorer would be desperately hard to replace.

Replacements

And that’s the thing. Who would Fulham find at his level? When he was suspended, they did win three out of five games but disappointing defeats by West Ham and Bournemouth exposed a lack of potency up front.

The highest scorers behind Mitrovic last season were Willian and Carlos Vinicius, but with five goals apiece, they are not likely to assume his full goalscoring mantle.

They would have to hit the open market – and strikers of Mitrovic’s output are costly.

Status at club

Boss Marco Silva described him as “a big, big miss” when out for those eight games in the spring and it is clear Fulham’s system depends on the Serb's physicality and threat.

Silva has moulded the Cottagers into a dynamic, combative side with a sprinkling of flair through the likes of Willian and Andreas Pereira.

Given Mitrovic’s ability to occupy – and provoke – defences, Fulham are able to progress up the pitch quickly. He scores almost equally at home and away, against both the big boys and the lesser lights.

That’s worth far more than money, isn't it?