Southampton are close to completing a deal to sign promising Standard Liege winger Moussa Djenepo, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster report on their live transfer blog on Saturday [11:48am], that Southampton have agreed at a deal with Standard Liege that is believed to be worth around £15million following performance-related bonuses.
It is thought that the 20-year-old has passed a medical with Southampton before joining up with the Mali squad for this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament, and the winger is expected to be named as a Saints player in the next few days depending on a work permit being agreed.
Good signing for Southampton?
Djenepo is exactly the type of player Southampton should be looking to recruit this summer, with the 20-year-old enjoying an excellent campaign with Standard Liege last term, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in 39 appearances.
The winger is the sort of player Southampton have a proven track record of being able to develop, and Djenepo’s pace and energy would be well suited to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s demands for his side to press from the front.
Southampton already have Nathan Redmond, whose form picked up dramatically since Hasenhuttl took over from Mark Hughes, and the prospect of having Djenepo on the opposite side would provide the Saints with a very dangerous looking attack next term.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
Given Southampton have already agreed a fee and the attacker is believed to have passed a medical, it appears as though this deal is very likely to be completed this summer.
Djenepo will be aware of the Saints excellent record for developing and improving young and talented players, and will only have to look at how Sadio Mane’s career has taken off since moving to Southampton.
It appears as though Hasenhuttl has managed to all but secure his first summer signing, and it would represent a promising start to the transfer window for Southampton if the deal is completed as is expected.
This Is Futbol rating 9/10