Fulham are intent on replacing Aleksandar Mitrovic in the final week of the window, after the striker joined Al Hilal for a club-record sale worth £46million. They are interested in Flamengo’s Pedro and Duvan Zapata at Atalanta.

Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore, Calvin Bassey and Willian have come in this summer, but Fulham also lost five players whose contracts expired as well as three loanees who returned to their parent clubs.

“From last April, the plan was clear”, said Silva. “It’s no surprise what we need. We have just two full-backs in our squad — one right-back and one left-back. We need two more.

“We have to sign at least five players until the end of the market. We have to.”

Fulham visit Arsenal tomorrow, a side they last beat in 2012 and have never beaten away from home in their history.

“That shows how big the task is”, Silva added. “Those are the facts and I cannot go against the facts. Arsenal, when they play against 80 or 90 per cent of teams at home, are the favourites.

“It’s a big challenge for us, but we like big challenges. We showed that last season and we have to start showing again how much we like these challenges.”

Flamengo have turned down Fulham’s initial £21million offer for Pedro but are braced for further bids.

The 26-year-old wants to move to the Premier League but Fulham face competition from Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg.

Fulham manager Marco Silva is also looking at Zapata as a potential Mitrovic replacement after the Cottagers sold the Serb to Saudi side Al-Hilal for £46m.

Atalanta want to keep Zapata despite signing Gianluca Scamacca from West Ham.

Fulham have also sounded out Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, who is now expected to join Monaco, while Silva has denied interest in Juventus striker Moise Kean.

Silva wants three strikers in his squad, with Raul Jimenez set to start away at Arsenal tomorrow and Carlos Vinicius likely to deputise from the bench.

Fulham are also chasing two full-backs, with Leicester City’s Timothy Castagne their primary target.

AC Milan’s Fode Ballo-Toure, Union Berlin’s Josip Juranovic, Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and Rennes’s Arthur Theate are also being considered.