Fulham are close to signing Southampton midfielder Shea Charles for about £25 million, according to a Techub News brief citing CryptoBriefing. The report frames the deal as more than a transfer story, saying it shows how deeply blockchain sponsorship has become embedded in the commercial operations of top football clubs. Fulham already have a crypto sponsorship partnership with World Mobile Token, or WMT, which puts a blockchain brand in front of millions of viewers on matchdays. Southampton, for their part, launched an NFT project tied to shirt promotions in 2022. The report also notes that many clubs became more cautious about crypto sponsorships after the collapse of FTX in late 2022. Even so, Fulham’s partnership with WMT has continued through the bear market, a sign that the two sides are focused on long-term strategic value rather than short-term token price swings.