Southampton transfer target Joakim Maehle has revealed his future transfer wish and has also talked about how Genk didn’t allow him to leave in the January transfer window.
The Saints were linked with a move to sign the right-back ahead of the winter window, but Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men ended up signing Tottenham’s Kyle Walker-Peters on loan till the end of the season.
In a recent interview that Maehle gave to Belgian outlet Het Belang Van Limburg (via Sportwitness), the defender said that if a ‘nice’ club from a ‘top competition’ came calling for him, he would like to take that step. He went on to say that Genk said ‘no’ to any attempts of him to leave and he had to ‘accept that as a professional’.
Should Southampton sign Maehle in the summer?
Yes, he's class
Nope, don't think he's worth it
Impressing in Belgium
This season, the 22-year-old Dane has made 22 appearances in the Belgian league, racking up four assists. He was a regular for the club in the Champions League, playing all six games.
He is yet to make his debut for the Danish senior national team, but he has played for their Under-21 side, including at last summer’s European Championships. He’s made seven appearances for them in total, scoring twice and assisting once.
TIF Tactics
Maehle’s words would surely encourage many Southampton fans, especially considering Walker-Peters is only on a loan deal and Cedric Soares has joined Arsenal on a loan deal with his contract at St. Mary’s running out in the summer. With the club set to lose both players, they could make a move for Maehle and be confident that the player would accept a Premier League move based on his recent quotes.