Ricardo Pepi's future at PSV Eindhoven has taken an unexpected turn after two proposed moves to Fulham collapsed, with head coach Peter Bosz admitting he is "happy" to have the United States international remain at the club.

Pepi had been twice on the verge of joining Fulham, first in January and again this summer after the Premier League club agreed a deal in principle for the forward.

However, both transfers ultimately fell through, leaving the 23-year-old in Eindhoven as PSV prepare to begin their Eredivisie title defence.

"I was a bit surprised that his transfer during the last season to Fulham wasn't working out," Bosz told The Athletic. "So obviously I'm happy to have a real goalscorer in my team, because that's what he is."

Fulham's first attempt to sign Pepi collapsed on deadline day in January after PSV made the transfer conditional on finding a replacement. That replacement never arrived, so the move could not be completed.

A second agreement was then reached for the summer, but that deal contained contingencies surrounding Pepi's fitness. The transfer eventually fell through at the final stage.

Fulham have since moved on, signing Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid for £34 million ($45 million), while no other suitors have made a formal approach for Pepi.

PSV, meanwhile, never actively sought to sell the striker, who remains under contract until 2030.

Pepi has established himself as a highly efficient goalscorer in Eindhoven despite limited minutes.

Across the past two seasons, he has scored 27 goals in 2,105 minutes for PSV. Last campaign, he was expected to become the club's first-choice striker following Luuk de Jong's departure, only for a fractured arm to disrupt his season.

Bosz believes Pepi's fitness could be decisive this term.

"I hope he will stay fit, and I'm sure he will stay fit, because normally he's never injured," the PSV manager said.

"But if he stays fit in Holland, I'm really curious how many goals he will score because he is a real goal scorer."

Pepi was absent as PSV suffered a 4-0 defeat against AZ Alkmaar in last weekend's Johan Cruyff Shield, but he could now play a significant role when the champions host Fortuna Sittard on Saturday.

Staying at PSV also gives Pepi another opportunity to perform on Europe's biggest club stage.

PSV's Eredivisie title means they go directly into the Champions League league phase, a competition where Pepi has already demonstrated his effectiveness.

The American has scored six Champions League goals in 20 appearances, making him the United States' third-highest scorer in the competition behind Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.

Three of those goals came last season against Atlético Madrid, Olympiacos and Napoli, and he also provided assists against Napoli and Liverpool.

Pepi's opportunities with the United States at this summer's World Cup were more limited, with Folarin Balogun starting ahead of him. He began the group-stage matches against Australia and Turkey but played only 20 minutes across the knockout rounds and failed to score.

"Because Balogun was playing, and also after the red card he was playing, so Pepi didn't (have a lot of) minutes, so the people couldn't see him," Bosz said. "But for us, it was good."

With Fulham now having moved on and PSV retaining a striker they never wanted to lose, Pepi enters the new season with a clear opportunity to make himself indispensable in Eindhoven.