Southampton paid £15million to sign Juventus’s Mario Lemina last summer, but is he set to return to Serie A after just 18 Premier League starts last season?
Southampton have rejected a loan bid from Atalanta for Mario Lemina as they want to recoup the £16 million they invested in the Gabon international just two years ago, according to Tuttomercatoweb.
Lemina became one of the biggest signings in Southampton’s history during the summer of 2017, in more ways than one. Not only did he cost a considerable £16 million, the energetic midfielder arrived after featuring in the Champions League final for Juventus.
In truth, the former Marseille ace was one of the few players who stood out for The Saints during a dismal 2018/19 campaign but The Telegraph reported on Monday that he has been put up for transfer, alongside Fraser Forster and Cedric Soares.
Though Southampton won’t let Lemina go for a loss.
TMW claims that any offer less than £16 million will be rejected – as Atalanta have just discovered.
A high-flying Serie A outfit who qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history in May, Atalanta tried to sign the 25-year-old on loan with an option to buy him in the summer of 2020. Southampton, however, have turned this offer down.
The question remains, however, why Ralph Hasenhuttl seems so willing to cash in. Lemina looks ready-made for the Premier League with his blend of technique and tenacity though it seems that a long spell on the sidelines through injury straight after Hasenhuttl took over has cost him dear.
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