Southampton might not be “quite the profile of club” that Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé would be interested in signing for.
That is according to Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the Saints’ potential plans going into the remaining few weeks of the transfer window.
Ralph Hasenhüttl has welcomed six new faces to St Mary’s this season, including the signing of Bordeaux striker Sékou Mara.
However, it was reported in July that the south coast club were looking at a potential move for Lyon striker Dembélé at a price of around £10m, with the 26-year-old entering the final year of his contract at the Ligue 1 club.
But Jones believes that whilst the former Celtic man may be interested in a move to the Premier League this summer, Southampton may not be his ideal destination.
He said: “I think he’s interested in going to the Premier League.
“I’m not sure necessarily if Southampton would be the team that convince him to make that move.
“I think he’d be looking to see if any of the teams with slightly higher ambition could get him in there, because ultimately, he’ll want to be playing European football. He might be willing to consider the fact that he’s not getting it for this season with a Premier League team, but he’ll certainly want it the season after.
“So I just wonder if Southampton are not quite the profile of club that Moussa Dembélé will be looking for next.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
We believe that Southampton fans will be disappointed to hear that Dembélé may not necessarily be interested in a move to St Mary’s this summer, due to the club’s lack of European football.
The former France U21 international, who has previously been dubbed as “exceptional” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, enjoyed a fantastic campaign with Lyon last season, scoring 22 goals and providing five assists in 36 appearances for the club, according to Transfermarkt.
Therefore, while we agree with Jones’ claim, we believe that Saints fans will be disheartened to hear it, especially with Dembélé reportedly only costing around £10m.